A M ON I'll 



^liiitcd Stiitc:. iiiul (^ iuiiiila 



^WILLI^I^ c^:M:BR.02sr, 



'f^thrt •* Te^Anioii 



«»NK \ "Ml NtK 



tJKKKNtnK 

\j I POLLOCK Axu JAMKS MxMJNN. 

EDINIirncH AND iJLASnoW 

JOHN MKN/II-X A CO 






GREENOCK : 

PRINTED BY ORR, POLLOCK AND COMPANY, 

AT THE 'telegraph' OFPTCE. 

y 



TO 
'c 8iH MICHAKL HOHERT SHAW STKWAIIT. Hart. 



liKK KNOCK AMI » LACK 11 AM., 

LORD LIEL'TEXAXT OF THE CnlXTV <>F KEXFKEAV. 

AXI> MOST WOR-SHirrri. 

• ilJANI) MAST Kit .MAS«»N oF SCOTLAND. 

THIS VoUMH 

IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 

M(J8T OIUTEFIL AND (UlEDIENT SEKVANT. 

TlIK At TIIUK. 

Okkcsock, October, 1874. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAITKK I. 
The Voy«4,'» Kfirty Y««ni Ap>-T!ic ContrMt - Bri.lt,i< <.f 
IViaU — Intom»Uoiiid Int<ivour«v IWiitrficnid Vt Uith 
Nattonn — A MikritiuK* Mni Miitriin<>iii.-il ('<>nviTi>*iion 

_ T .. u ■ ■ -^ - - . . .• . . .•-...^ 

f.r .ud 

Hi. ..w 

York in the i>iJiUuicv —Arrival, 

CII.UTKU II 
I^ui<lin}{— C'ltftu Hill of Health -Term Firmn n^nun - 
" Fmncv K«ir "-" HUck MaU "-" Tho lUld Kii^le " 
-Purity of OfticimI Llfo— IntnM-Ul.lii. >ii thv lU*r 
— Bmoklyn Kerry— Now York H»y Mid Ilarlxmr 
— Ixnj; Inland,' 

CHAITKH III. 
Bn«.klv- •'■ "'-nviaof New Y.tV '■ 
C'l. iW.wHi Ccmctrry— It 

It. ' 1 Work* of Art-TJi of 

JujtiM liwnloit IWlUlott of ttic AVir y.,ii J/aaJU — 
Dfsomtion I>AV — IkHwhtT Ch»{M'l and K<nuidliii(; 
IIu.q>iUl. 

' IIAITKK IV 
New V ■ 
I>r 

mt\\ __ . "t- 

•liUi I'laiinuto ' ' Jiihi-o -Sir nu^wtut'a 

While MM-t>lr II r»nim»ny Hull Klrc 

BriffMlo -Tho (V'Utr*! 1" ^rV. 

f'HMTKH V 
Houtb by lUilr >l. 

Uctn hi r 

pl«»ill)( !;<■>• IP-' ni'i i». ...i.' - .1.-1.11. ».ju..,.l 

Much In a Natitr in a F<«viipi I^oimI Tba « 'a|>iU>l 



CHAPTER. VI. 

Washington City-Hotel Representative., -Hotel Distinc 
tion-C.ty Thoroughfares-The Capitol, its Position 
Appearance, an.l Decoration-The Capitol by Nioht 
-rhe Grounds, and Statue of Washingtou-The 
Treasury-Patent Office-Bureau of Agriculture- 
Washington Monument -Smithsonian Institute - 
Navy Yard-The Extent of the City-Lifting BuUd- 

'''^'' ■ ■ • 51-75 

CHAPTER VI r 
Baltimore in the Dark-Hotels-Streets-Washington's 
Monument-Mr Peabody's Gifts-Druids' Park and 
Its Attractions-A Black Encampment-Dark Pro- 
spects, and Voluble Companions -War of Eaces- 
Fleeting Reflections, . . _. _ . 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Philadelphia-Old Capital of the Uuion-When Eirst 
Planted— Configuration of the City— Relics of the 
Paet-Franklin's Grave-PubUc Buildiags and Insti- 
tutions-Girard College and Grounds-Seminary of St 
Carlo Borromeo-Marble Churches and Palaces— Fiir- 
mount Park -The SchuylkiU - The Wissahickon 

^"^^*«"«^' 89-102 

CHAPTER IX. 
Masonic Temple— Its Surroundings and Site— Its Extent 
and Appearance Outside— Extent of the Craft in 
Pennsylvania and City of Philadelphia— Interior of 
Temple— Egyptian, Norman, and Ionic Halls— Orien- 
tal HaUs— Grand Lodge and Chapter Halls— Corin- 
thian HaU-Knights' Templar Hall— Banquet HaU— 
Library-Cost of Building, 103-1 ^0 

CHAPTER X. 

Philadelphia -Hotel xMusical Attendants— Their Formid- 
able Character and Attacks--The Mosquito a Match 
for Yankees— American Insects— Phases of American 
Life— Marriage — Divorce— Dress— Early Risino'- 
"Peeping Tom" at the Theatre— Traces of the War 
Centeuial Celebration.s in Philadelphia, . . .121134 



CHAITKK XI. 
En Root* for NUg»r»- H. tliK-hrm Valli-yK nf l^hJijh, 
8aM|ue)umaA, »nd Wvumiii}; -M.tunch i (luuk, the 
SwiUcrUnJ of Aajfrica— Mount I' 'Iknio 

Valley of Wy..mia^'— Arrival at '. . 135 H« 

C <ArTEK Xii 
Nla^fara— Finrt View of the KalU— Variwl F>tiinat« of 
their E«t«nt— Ilwt roint* for a Vi.w TaLlc Kock at 
Clifton— Ve«««>lovtTth.- Kallii— IUvprNia<f«ra "MaiJ 
of the Miat"— A TUrin>/ Uun— N>w and Old Hrid«;aa 
— Goat I«Uii ^ - -Iiiiliaii*' Venera- 

tion for the 1 .f Indiaii Work in 

Niagara -TL 147-172 

CHAPTKH XIII. 
En Route for the C'.jiital of U|);<cr ( 'ana-la— Travollin); 
Economy — I/cwinion— Fort Niaipvra— I^c (.hitario 
Arrival at Toronto- Grtjat Trunk lUilway : ItJi I'lant 
and Cara, Station and Office*, anil Couioiuuioationi, . 173-185 
rHAlTKU XIV. 

Ber!! ^- '• \\',^t 

'Uid a 
\ , In 

Moraia, and i . . -. lona - (ieoial Civic 
Ma^fnate an ; V H«in Arromi the 
Coantry to Ayr. . . ISft-lM 

• •HAI*TKI{ 
Go.* ' •■ 



Visit to Waterloo— in>piiiiig Intiu«no« of the At- 

800-S15 



CIIAITKH XVr. 
Tomnta, ita PaaitiiMi— •• Ilu gtuvn'a "—Tba CStv and its 



H*n Aiexanilcr Ma<-kpn(io on t' 
The I.Akc of a lliounand ImU. 
Nluht— Arrival at ti»o City of IkloiiUra!. 



Till. CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XVII. 
Montreal from the Eiver— From the Spire of Notre Dame 
Cathedral — Site of the City — Papal Influence Adverse 
to Commercial Life — The Teachings from the Interior 
of Notre Dame — The Pope's Gifts — Picture Book for 
the Ignorant — Margaret Mary's Pious Dream — Theo- 
logical Frenzy — Notre Dame from the Square Opposite 
— The Law Courts — Contrast to Toronto Courts — 
Public Market — Champ de Mars— Belgravia of Mon- 
treal — The Island the Property of the Order of St. 
Sulpice — Water Supply — The Church of the Jesuits 
— The Secret Chamber, and its Magical Idol — The 
Political Power and Piety of Jesuits — Their Reward 
and Repose in Montreal — Curious Practice — Loyalty 
in Lower Canada — Civic Frauds by Jesuits — State of 
Streets in the Evening, 230-263 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
The Rail and Steamer to Lake Champlain — The Prairie — 
Bald Eagle on the Track — Burlington — Port Kent — 
Lake George — Arrival at Whitehall, . . . 264-271 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Whitehall — Old Route and the New — Saratoga and Sur- 
roundings — Fashionable Life at the Springs — A 
Desirable Country — " Checking Baggage "- -Arrival 
at Albany, 272-278 

CHAPTER XX. 

Hudson — Departure of Steamer — Bustle of Starting — 
Appearance of the Saloon — Extent of Saloon — Pas- 
sengers' Enjoyment — Gaslighton Board — Refreshment 
Department — Lower Deck — Provision for Fire and 
Shipwreck — Appearance of Steamer at Midnight — The 
River^Fulton's First Steamer— The Hudson and the 
Clyde— The Bank of the Hudson— The Croton Water 
Supply — High Bridge— " Sleepy Hollow" — "Sunny- 
side" — The PaUsades — Hobaken — New York — Ar- 
rival, 279-295 



PRi:i- AC1£ 



There are aome who think tlint the Ptvfaco to a t>«Mik U m 
neceaaary as the Ixxik it««?lf. Tliiii may Ihj tho cant? whoro, 
aA in thi« inBtnnce, there is n<> great ncc«Mity for the UMtk ; 
hut whi-ii the Utok exists, one feels there is an iinpcralivu 
deuiaiid on the autlior t<i introduce hiniself Ut his renders in 
a kind of an a{M>lo;;ftie manner, for asking them to takn tlie 
trouble t«> i»eruse what he ha* l>een ilisjM.sed to provide for 
them. This is all the more necessary, if we are to Injlieve 
the spirit in which many have written i>reface8 to their 
)xM>ks; for it is hut rii^ht for one conscious of the many im- 
|>erfections which (KTuieate his work to ask his patrons t» 
look upon them with as kindly an eye as they iMtssihly can, 
knowing tliat to cherish such a disiiosition is as favourable 
for the reader as the author. 

There have been many IxHtks written on the subji-c*. «»f 
which this one treats, ami therefore the inforencv is easily 
reache<l by nuuiy that there is little neo<l for more Iwinji 
priMluciHl : but I feel that this is ur^ed chiefly by thoMj who 
h.ive men«1y heard of the existence of the IwHiks ri'ferrv*! t*>, 
and know nothing of their contents except in a gem-ral way. 
And tho ttu't that many InM.ks have Ikh-u written i-n this 
•iibjoct cif America proves it is regarded with nnich interest 
by ihoau visiting and having cH>nn(.H.-tion with that c<iuntr>' ; 
and any Bhopkee|>er, artizan. or tmdcsinan has as ^Tont a 
nght or claim t/» submit his impn-iisi..n» and opinion of 
what he sees as have Sir ('har!«'s Pilkc. I>r Uusseli. or any 
of tho reverend gi-ntlemen who writ*' pn»fr«sionally, and who 
think they are ontitlinl to greater considoration from the 
niass on account of their |iositioii. 



The following chapters have been -written mostly from 
memory, and on that score may contain more blemishes 
than they otherwise would share were they altogether writ- 
ten from carefully prepared notes. But I have no doubt that 
the amount of reliable material in them will make them of 
sufficient interest and profit to any one intending to visit 
the shores of that great continent, and amply reward those 
who are at the trouble to peruse them, and if any one fails 
in this respect, I will regard the fault as my own, and regret 
that I have not been so successful as I endeavoured to be in 
my first efforts at providing what I w;is anxious should 
prove of some advantage to my readers. 

THE AUTHOR. 

Greenock, October, 187-1. 



THE STATES AND CANADA. 



(• II A r T K i: I. 

WF>>TWARI» no:— THK VOVAIJE. 

We can remember some forty years ftjjo, when a \MMit 
sang "O, why left I my hame ?" for the first time, 
and how many felt the ^'low of sympathetic sorrow 
for those who were hanly enou^'h to seek their for- 
tunes in that new world which now olTers so many 
attractions and fascinations to the children of the old. 
To cross the Atlantic at that time implie<l the neces- 
sity of hiddinj,' an eternal farewell to th<»se wiio were 
left liehind, for the diniculties and character of this 
voyage were such that the thou<;ht« of rvtuni wer« 
ver^' remote in the minds of those who luul resolved 
to follow "fortune's slipiiery l)a"* on the uncertain 
shores of a new countr)-. Hut art and science and 
indomitalile British j,'enius have overcome and have 
made what was considere<l at that time an undertak- 
ing of some maj.niitude little more than a plou-suro 
trip ; and the best evidence of what I state is in the 
fact that Homewhen^ about ei^dity thousand jterHons 
have cutHMul the Atlantic this year on the various 
missions of jxjacc in the splendid britlge t»f boats 



2 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

which continually span the restless and seething 
floods of that great ocean. When so many are im- 
pelled from various motives to come from and go 
across to the new world, we may naturally expect 
there will be much talk in the different countries as 
to what has been seen, and we know that very many 
glowing passages have been written and spoken of 
the world beyond the flood ; and we can easily believe 
that the Old World has been thoroughly reviewed by 
the cute, clever and penetrating Yankees who have 
■sisitecl our shores with scarcely any other aim than 
to spy the land which very many before they visit it 
are inclined to speak of with that kind of contempt 
which is the offspring of ignorance, and which is 
usually dissipated by a visit to the old land from 
whence they sprung. 

I am disposed to think that much good and per- 
manent benefits are likely to be the result of this 
great interchange of sentiment when it is the result of 
personally-acquired knowledge ; but if certain things 
are said merely for pictorial effect, the benefits will 
be but of a doubtful kind. 

I have wondered if it were possible to make a 
description of a passage from the Tail of the Bank 
to New York harbour of sufficient interest that any 
one would be disposed to take the time which is 
needful to peruse it; but to do that it is necessary I 
should present somethhig of a kind that is of freixuent 



THE v«>VA».h. :\ 

occurrence on board those vessels whicli tarry such 
great numbertj of all clas^ses, and something,' which I 
know is of jjreat int«ire,st to many who art* eniUark- 
ing on a sea of a difVerunt kiml at the siiuie tiiue. 

We sometimes rvAi\ in the puMic ))ai>erh of the 
marriage of some two on whom the eyed of a hfrge 
and loving circle were set. aiul who were the admire<i 
of all admirers, and st>metimes such a notice has 
concluded witli the announcement "that the youn;4 
and lovinj,' jwiir have gone on their marria;{e totir Ui 
the New World to si»en»l tlieir lioneymoon the^p." 
Such a pair are seen almost every voyage that is 
taken during the sea.son when such eventji come oil 
and when such a t4*ur can Ix* enjoyed; and although 
there an* hundrrds on Ixtanl. tiiose "turtle doves" 
Mxm to aliHtrl) the attention of every eye an«l engross 
the biggest half of the conversation which is gone 
into during the voyage; and it is not strange that it 
sJiouKi U; s<), for wo all know the eMort,s which are 
made to U- startling and eflective when this im|»ort«int 
< «'reniony lias U-eii newly consummated. It is grand 
to read in a public journal the notice refemxl to; 
but let us follow this new and interesting cou]>1e from 
the time when they come on l>oanl ami aitch the eye- 
of all who an- nuuul the dinner-talile f«»r the lirst 
time till they ceosi* to U* of sutVicient interej«l U» the 
bulk of their fidlow-travellers. The huly. of course, 
ri'ceives the greatest share of scnitiny. This delicate 



4 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

creature comes on board surrounded by loving friends, 
and fairly smothered in flowers and leave-takings. 
She belongs to the family of blondes, and her "get-up" 
is a miracle of art and exceedingly beautiful. What 
a travelling dress that is ! What a pannier ! What 
a trail ! She must have forgotten the enterprise on 
which she is embarked. And see that head — what a 
piece of seriel architecture ! and setting at defiance 
all the laws of that ancient art. Far aloft and on a 
dizzy pinnacle of blonde hair sits her little hat sway- 
ing^to and fro like a bird's nest on a tree top, while 
her little head seems unequal to the task of support- 
ing the wonderful structure raised over it. And then 
those gems which tremble in those delicate and elastic 
ears ! now they sparkle in the saloon in the evening 
and shoot their radiance into every corner and create 
a new light, and before them the lamps only pale 
their dim and ineffectual fires. Now we are fairly 
at sea and evening begins to close around, and the 
wide expanse of water reflects the rich hues of light 
as the sun sets in a sky all fretted with golden fire; 

And now we see the sun retire 

And burn the threshold of the night; 

And from his ocean hme of tire 

Sink deep beneath his piUar'd light ; 

We see the purple skirted robe 

Of twilight slowly downward drawn, 

And through the slumber of the globe 
Again we dash into the dawn. 

— Tenny.wn's Voyage. 



THK VuV.vtiJ 

The scene is chauyed! tlie laiui hius suuk below the 
line of vision, and the hnrntl. exjiuntlinj,' sea is 8coure«l 
by the curious eye, wliich has now no o))ject to rest 
on beyoml the ship and that wide circle of endless 
water which it now sees for the first time, and one 
feels as if idl the staltilily of tirra Jinna luul ^om-, 
and that one is at the mercy of a combination of 
opposing forces, which iire chocked und contn»ll«Ml 
only by the alternations of science and nature. Wi- 
have left the land behind, and are on the ocean wave, 
where " the winds their revels keep." There are 
some tourists, who are on the qui vivt for a storm, 
and are disappointed if they do not reidise their 
conception of the sublime and beautiful of which a 
storm is pr.xluctive; and it is a rare thinj^ that dis- 
appointment in this res|)ect is exj>erienced on tlu* 
North Atlantic, for the wind hits freMht*ned into a 
gale, and the gide to a stornt, and we tind there are 
few who want it now that it has come; but want it 
or not, here it is, and we must feel it. and endure it, 
and mu.st un«lergo the sublimity Af Heji-«ickness as 
part of wliiit is awful and gnind in nature. lUit the 
oljservetl of all ol>s<?rver.s, wheru are they ? True, 
every one lias enou;;h to do with himself at such a 
time, but the .stnmg must stipiiort the weak, and as 
we scramble through the jMUs-sage to tind some stH-liLsion 
t^) divest us of what .s«»c'ms its rej>tlesH as all ai- i i 
we stumble on an ojH-n ib>or — i»|«en for air; ft»r tl' w i. 



6 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

the storm rages above, air is sometimes at a premium 
below, and sea-sickness destroys many of the pro- 
prieties. We try to pass, but are obliged to hold on 
by the door or other fixed woodwork, which are now 
beginning to mimic our own unsteady gait. And 
^^'hat a change meets the eye ! what a falling off 
is there ! Look at her now, and think of the process ! 
To what favour is she come ! Think if you can of the 
lover, husband, sick himself, trying to hold that 
beloved head and a basin at the same time, while a 
pitching, tossing vessel tumbles him over, and spills 
the contents of that basin on that fair form. He does 
tlie best he can in the case, but the vessel lurches 
suddenly, and the head of his beloved is ducked in 
tlie basin, and sometimes he is obliged to hold on by 
those fair locks he has sworn to love, cherish, and 
protect. The lofty structure is gone, and the little 
head, with its scanty covering, remains the sole relic 
of the previous grandeur. A sad beginning of life 
this ; and we wonder if the announcement in the 
fashionable journal will compensate for such an 
ordeal. Is it too much to suppose that many elope- 
ments have been terminated by the disgust created 
by the first two or three days at sea in circumstances 
like that related ? 

Life presents a variety of aspects on shipboard 
even during the short time one is there. The enjoy- 
ment of a calm after one has been nearly rocked to 



TIIK VuYA«;H / 

«leath in the cradle of the deep is wmtlj jill thf 
sulfemnce of a st«»rin. It is like the return »»f spring; 
when winter has exhausted itself in its severity, and 
we forget what we have en<lun'«l as we lutsk in the 
generous wannth ami breathe the invij,'oratin«j air, 
and we feel as if our sorrows were over for a time. 

Hut what thin {Mirtitiniui do ilivide 
The Im>iiii(1a when? giKnl ami ill roniile. 

Everythin«; is calm autl fair, and the vessel runs her 
steady course, hut from Udow a messi'njjfer hrings its 
tidings that dejith hius l)een ait work, and " a liaby is 
dead." Tlie vessel has lmive«l the storm, hut this 
little cherub has coursed throu«;h the storm of its 
brief existence to rest in uncloudeil sunshine. The 
tidings are sudden luid startling, but had we watched 
and waited by the couch of that young one during 
the violence of the storm antl nn-king of the ship, we 
would have been j)re|>jin»«l for the sad news. The 
mother has never l«en seen by many of her ffUow- 
travellers ; doubtless, for a goo<l retuson, that tender 
flower retiuired all her care and presence. And now 
when it is a))out to Ix* commilt(>«l to the deep, she Is 
still unseen. Siink in her «leep sorrow she can-s not 
to come ; she cannot come and min;^!*' with th<' <Ti»wd, 
who are anxious to .see the little cottin laid into such 
a wide grave. It is carried on deck and laid in the 
stern-sheets of the lifeUiat. until the f«'w rough but 
needful prepjimtions are nuide, an«l aft«'r a prayer by 



8 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

a clergyman, one of the passengers, the little coffin 
is lowered by cords attached to it till it reaches the 
water, and then we see it float away a hnndred yards 
or so, and finally settle down to rest in the deep and 
silent waste of waters of the Atlantic. If the' re- 
motest spot on earth had been its resting-place, the 
mother might on some future day return and see it ; 
but who will be able to find that spot again ? We 
cannot keep a record of it, and it is lost for ever. 

While we pursue our uncertain and dangerous 
course across the Atlantic, there is a satisfaction — 
such as it is — of seeing that there is a fair supply of 
lifeboats provided in case of an emergency, but it 
seems strange to me (and perhaps to others also) 
that these boats are never used, but kept continually 
fixed and cemented in their places, which I think is 
very much against their use or efficiency when 
wanted at sea. There is a custom or practice in one 
line, I believe, of exercising the seamen at sea in 
lifeboat drill, which must be of great service in hand- 
ling the boats when wanted in a pressing necessity. 
And this practice should be of the last importance to 
all Transatlantic steamboat companies, for the bungling 
which occurs at launching lifeboats is the frequent 
cause of great loss of life at sea. The wish is, may 
they never be needed ; but needed they are at times, 
and the more systematically and •speedily they can 
be used when wanted the better. The de&ire to make 



TIIK Vi>YA<.JL 

speedy passafjes, ami rnimin;,' uiul keeping up the 
usual speetl in u fuj^ nuike it imperative that the 
lifeboat senice shoiUil receive every attention to 
make it eiticient in the saving of life, and not have 
the boats luert- ornaments f(ir emlHjUishing the deck- 
work of ocean-going steamers. 

• We are now some two days' sail frt»m Saiuly lli>«>k, 
and we have not seen a sail since the day alter the 
storm, when a vessel passeil its with her sails in 
ribbons. Now a speck is seen on the li«(ri/.<in, over 
the larljoartl U>w, .sailing westwanl like oui-selves, and 
those who consider themselves far-seeing f«»lks atJinii 
that it is the pilot boat, which, after a little, all are 
satisfied is correct ; ami a " pool " is (yranged us to 
which of the pilot boats it is (there Ijeing some twenty- 
four in all in this .service), ami ghusses in all «lirections 
are tr)ing to make out who is the winner <>f the 
"pool." Hut as the setting sun and the Uiat are 
nearly in the same direction, it is some time Ix^foru 
it is discovered that the Ixuit is No. 2, the nundnT 
being alK)ut three feet in si/e, and jKiinteil on her 
mainsail. Shortly the pilot comes on iMmnl with 
news|»a|)er». and wc leani what is doing in the worM 
we have l*een shut out of for ten days, and all an? 
glad to hear that the "Alabama" is safe, but S4»rry 
to hear of the circumstance which gave uhv to the 
rv|)on of her life bui»ys U'ing found floating in the 
Athuitic shortly after leaving home. 



10 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

On the evening of the twelfth day, far out at sea, 
we see the reflection of the combined liglits of New 
York, Brooklyn, and New Jersey, on the sky above. 
By-and-bye the lights at Sandy Hook are visible, and 
in an hoin- are passed. The harbour of New York 
is then gained, and as we are admiring the endless 
circle of lights all round on the islands of which the • 
bay is formed, the anchor is dro^Dped. A little boat 
has come alongside, and now commander H. is in 
conversation with one of the representatives of the 
press ; but as it is midnight we will go to bed, and wait 
till the morning, when we will learn what the Ntio 
York Herald has to say about the Australia's voyage 
out to the gre^at emporium of American commerce. 



( II A 1' T i: i; I I 



TlIK stillness niul quiet of a ni'^'ht's rest in a vessel 
lying at anchor coniiMire favoumMy with that while 
she is at sea, l)eatin}; the hilhiw or even vibmting 
with the motion of five hundreil horse-i»ower en^'ines. 
Tlie rwfracte<l my.s of the njorninj^'s sun were iM-^^'in- 
ning to find their way thnju;^'h the solitary cleeklijjht 
overhejul, when I was nitlely tissaileil 1^ the thunder 
of a donkey-onj^ine which occupied the space just 
above n»y sleeping aimrtnient, and as I wjis at a loss 
to know what was up — for I knew that the anchor was 
certainly at the other end of the ship, and this could 
not 1)0 lifting so as to proceeil to the landing-st^igo 
— I arose, I wiushetl, I dn'ssed, I went upstain* and 
found that this donkey which was hnniking the ]>eacti 
was liusy lifting the Uiggage of the sleeping and 
dreaming jwissengers fn»m the afterhold on deek. so 
08 to Iw ready for a start after we were ])assi>«l by the 
doctor. Tlie {lassengers cxuigregate slowly on tleck. 
and shortly the doctor is seen to leave a wharf on the 
•Icrsey side in a small steamer and amw on Utard. 
Tliere is a clean hill of health, and his duties are 



12 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

light, not even so heavy as to require him to relinquish 
his cigar nor cease smoking. On the other side of 
the steamer another steamer makes her appearance to 
carry off the upper ten to the landing-stage, pier, 
jetty, or shed, or what you will. The baggage is all 
put on board the small steamer and its owners follow. 
We are cast off, and in a few minutes we are on terra 
firma again, but prisoners for a little. Here we are 
called upon to halt and render to all their dues. 
Tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom 
custom. There are some who would rather be excused, 
but President Grant grants no excuse in this depart- 
ment of the public service. The passengers are all 
called up in single file behind one another and told 
off, while a Custom-house ohicer goes through rifle 
practice in every man's trunk. A person who has 
never seen such a sight or enjoyed the excitement of 
having his baggage searched for European treasures 
in an American port, especially New York, ought at 
once to get a valise, bag, trunk, or portmanteau, and 
have it stuffed with contraband, and at once start, 
hear all the stories about it on the voyage, and then 
undergo it as we did. There are all classes under- 
going this scrutiny — green-horns and old stagers. 
And by-and-bye the place is like a fancy fair. Here 
you see a fine Paisley shawl hanging over the top of 
a flour barrel, and there a considerable piece of fine 
silk lying on a like eminence. Here a box of spotless 



TIIK LVNDINC. 13 

gloves, and there anotlier fancy article iiuportotl for a 
friend. One naturally a.sk.s why are these thin^js 
exposetl as they are, and you are told " you must wait 
till the vahmtor conies." A Imsiness jKTson asks, 
•' Why is the valuator not here ? " liut it does not 
pay the valuator to lie here — his husiness is not a 
rifling business in a trunk, hut an o{)en one, the duty 
he gets ad vul^trcm must Hnd it.s way to the cotters 
of the State. He has no chance of *' black nmil." 
What do you say. sir ^ Do you mean to say that 
these men are not |»atriots ? They ouj^ht tt> lie. for 
they wear the badj^es of Fatherland, the imnuuulate 
"stairs and stripes," surmounteil by the " bald eagle;" 
but the eagle is a very greedy creature, and every 
man is etiual in this countr}', and hence the country 
is sure to i»ros|)er. The giMnls of old stagers jin* never 
hung up as these are. Une luus ten boxes, three of 
which contAin nothing ; these are laid on the ]xiint 
of attack, and nothing is found therein. Then he 
throws down his keys ami says, " 0|H'n the others 
yourself, as 1 have some tilings tti hM)k after ; " but 
that is too unich for one man to tlo. and he prt;fers to 
apply the tulisiuanic touch, and the giune is secureil 
Anotlier is anxious to catch the train for Chicago, 
and asks an oUI stager what ho is to do, for his traps 
hHII take a long time to overhaul. " Then* is my 
canl." said he, " tell him to call on yuu at that luldress 
to-morrow;" and llie lliiiiu's un; pu>M'd with an 



14 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

alacrity that is surprising. "And what am I to do," 
said another, " for I have some things in my trunk ? " 
" Take that," said his friend, " I have never found it 
to fail." The purity of the character of Government 
officials is early impressed on the minds of foreigners. 
The facilities which exist for the dispatch of business 
in America are great, if one can only learn speedily 
enough the method of their application. If your 
venture is hung on the top of a barrel for one hour 
in the first instance, you may have it and yourself 
kept in suspense for two hours on the second, if you 
do not learn to be more tractable in the hands of 
your new instructors. Well, perhaps it would be 
too much to expect the exciseman to be superior to 
his superiors. Any maladies which are profitable are 
very infectious in all countries. 

The baggage has all been dissected and tied up 
again, and we are relieved from further Government 
suspicion. We leave the green-horn in the hands of 
the valuator, and seek the assistance of a hack ta 
take us to our quarters, or rather to the ferry, for we 
have to cross from Manhattan Island, on which N"ew 
York is built, to Brooldyn on Long Island, in one of 
those queer things called ferry-boats, which are big 
enough to carry a whole district, houses and all. The 
steamer comes in bow on, or stern if you will — for each 
end is either bow or stern — and the passengers rush 
in like a flood through a gangway about thirty feet 



TIIK L.VMHN(;. !'• 

wide (everythiiiy is done here on a larj^e st-jde}. ami 
the gentlemen have one side of the boat as^iguod to 
them and the huiic& have the otiier, in nN>ni.s whicli 
run nearly the wlude length of tlie vessel, and tin- 
centre is oecui>ieil hy horsej*. tuuriages, carts, or nther 
animals which live and move, anil anything which 
goes on one or two wheels or more. Like the rest (»f 
the crowd, we rush in. carriage and all. u|)on thi> 
gang^vay, which has an engine in the centn;, antl two 
ponderous wheels, one at each side, ami everything i> 
covered in, ami the pilot is on the top u\' all. It 
re*iuires no tuniing, which is certaiidy an ailvantiige, 
and when it is fidl, or luis waited it.s time, an invisible 
hand strikes an invisible Ijell or gong, and otf we are 
carriwl, c^irriagu and all, t4» the other siile. There an- 
no such things in this country as public piers «»r 
qaays ; every com|)any has itvS own one, and ustnl fur 
a BpeciKed purjiose. The I'erry-boat.H umi this one. 
and there is never an inter>'al of any length of time 
that they are unoccupie<l, so great is the Irallic at the 
various ferries. Two or three Umt^ carry jH'rsons 
across at any <»f the ferrit»s, and they ply every few 
minutes. Out in the Uiy our attention is attracteil 
to tlie numljcr of Ijoats wliicb are engaged in this 
)Nirticular work, us the i.slamls an* niunenjus anmml 
the liuy, nece.SwHitating a great numlxT of lnMit^j. idl 
constnicted pretty much on the same principle, luul 

(•.riiiiti" :i ill* iiliil • oiitt-.i-.t t«i till- lH>at<. III! the Civile. 



16 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

but tlie American idea of marine architecture differs 
considerably from tlie British idea or standard. Their 
local requirements have given it a type which looks 
strange to a British eye. The unseemly walking- 
beam gives a nice steady stroke and a steady regular 
motion to the wheel, but it is a feature which spoils 
the look of a steamer otherwise trim. But it is not 
possible to impart the appearance of speed or trimness 
to them, there is so much of them above water, which 
disqualifies them for going far from home ; but I will 
return to the subject of the American boats again. 

At a cursory glance, the harbour offers such a wide 
field for observation that one does not know where 
to begin, or whether to begin at all, for you feel a sort 
of bewilderment, that has the effect of .stopping up 
every other sense — there is such a demand on the 
eye for the time ; for off in the centre of New York 
Bay you feel you can say without contradiction that 
you are surrounded by a greater amount of life and 
commercial activity than is possible for you to be in 
any other portion of the habitable globe. If we con- 
sider there are fifteen or sixteen Transatlantic com- 
panies' boats coming in here continually some two or 
three times a week, it will give one an idea of the 
extent of that phase of commercial life on the waters 
and in the city ; for, though many of these boats are 
obliged to lie on New Jersey side, the greatest 
portion of the business connected with them is done 



THE L.VNUIN«;. 17 

in the City of New York. Then, besidei* these steam, 
there is a jjreftter fleet of siiiling ships from every 
countr)- in tlie world doing busineiis with tlie mer- 
cantile representativi's d thi' ^nvut Kt'piiblio ; for, 
though Diiladi'lphia ami Haltimore have the connec- 
tion with the ocean, the facilitie.s which New York 
enjoys over the others will always keep her what 
she is — the chief mercantile city of N<»rth America. 
I do not doubt bui thi.s fact has a wonderful effect 
on the Yankee chanutcr. It inspiiv.s hiu> with a 
frothy conceit, when he ha.s nothinj: to take cri'dit 
for. He found these a4lvantage8 remiy-made to his 
hand, and has only to adapt himself to them and 
secure the profits. Hut, on UM)kin;; around, it is 
evident that this city is getting Uh) small for its 
growing wants, and hence we see them putting forth 
these efforts which entitle them t<» U' i-onsideretl iis 
trying to do .something to enable them to take their 
place among some of the early nations of the world. 
On the left, two massive piers art? growing up, on the 
.nhores of the VaiaI iJiver. to the height of tw«» hundntl 
feet. an<l shortly an iron bridge will span that river, 
joining I>ong I.sland to New York ; Hlii|ts will be able 
to sail under it and tramway cars to go over it. mi 
that the rompre.ist!<l gniwth of the city will get eiusily 
out in that din'<-tion. and l5^M^klyn will outstrip the 
jMirent city in a few years hence. 

Tliere in no eiul to the mimiiIhT itn«l < luinut.T -if 



18 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

Ijuildings and public works which are seen from this 
point. Forts, batteries, towers, arsenals, magazines, 
navy yards, hulks, ships of war, Eussian war vessels 
getting a friendly overhaul in an ally's dock, hospitals, 
sugar refineries, graving docks, slips, depots, ware- 
houses, factories, foundries, spires, turrets, domes, are 
all bristling under a burning sun and a clear sky, 
Avhich enables you to see a long way with the greatest 
distinctness. But we are nearly knocked off our 
])earing, for our boat has run in smack against the 
landing-place, and we must take the road for it again. 
We leave our t^-o dark charges to land our baggage 
and get slowly up Broadway, while we get into a 
German lager saloon to refresh ourselves, and now 
we feel in a condition to enter the City of Churches. 
We get over this dirty causeway, and mount our 
machine, and in a short time we stop at the private 
residence of an old friend, a Greenockian, who was 
my compagnon do voijcujc. AVe recount our travels, 
our hairbreadth escapes, and express our gratitude 
for deliverance ; sketch an outline for a campaign on 
shore, but that can only be prosecuted after the en- 
joyment of the necessary repose and collation ; for we 
left the steamer in the hope of getting a good sub- 
stantial breakfast, done up in thorough Yankee style 
and something worthy of the " New World." 



< M A I' T K I: II 



IIROOKLYX. 
I can't reiiMuuber at |»r«.seiit wliether the order of 
tiling's is ruversod in the Wejit, so fur an the iiu»tinct^ 
ol" the people are concerned, in re^aird to their resi- 
dences. In our own country the inhahitant.>4 )^u went 
iu almoHt every ua.se, so much so that a ' We,st-Euder * 
i» always underst<xxl to U* one of the up^MT cla88e^. 
But Brooklyn is not the West Knd (»f New York ; in 
fact, New York has no end at all — it is nearly circulai, 
or tendinj4 that way. Brooklyn is on the cast aide, 
aiid is the (|uartc'r where the j(reat majority of th* 
ari«t«xracy dwell. It is the chief city on I/»ng Islaiiti . 
and (nnu the confines of ont» district t«» the *»ther must 
lie .some six niiles or S4). cont^tinin^ alMttit a hundre*! 
ihou.sand j»eoplc. There are more than a do/cn other 
places on the island, but they are of ntiii>i iiiiiM.rt:iii> < 
bcin^; removed from the groat ceuti 
!>< iii^' the abode of the wealthy and tii<- i>!it<>i iixt 
...iut>. it i» distinj^ui.nhed for it^ ehun hen and iL^ 
[ireaclHTs. As in all fa>hiomilile resorts, where wealth 
and culture are found, they are very nice 4Ut to the 
kind of person who aliall be their instructor on Uioa- 
lo^nuU points , iuid thin is vcr) much the caH«? in all 



20 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

the large towns aud cities. I must say it is not at 
all clear to me why Brooklyn has been called the 
City of Churches. I failed to see or learn that there 
were more churches than were wanted, or that the 
people were more inspired with the devotional attri- 
butes than elsewhere. I doubt not but that they are 
all very good citizens, as they ought to be, but some 
of their public men get into scrapes as well as the 
members of other connections, and now that we have 
claimed that human nature is the same here as in 
any other place in the Union, let us see if there is 
anything in the neighbourhood that is worth saying 
a word in favour of — if there is anyone whose fame 
has reached the other side that will be worth seeing. 
Well, there is famed Beecher. We will keep that in 
view for Sunday, and in the meantime let us look at 
the exterior of the place. 

I said I did not see anything that was indicative 
of an excess of the religious devotional element in 
the people, for I am not disposed to attribute the 
building of churches to any higher motive than has 
been given in relation to the person who " loved his 
nation and built them a synagogue;" but we can, 
where there is taste, genius and liberality displayed 
in those structures, throw in our small contribution 
of admiration and gratitude to the men who have 
beautified their cities with so many fine examples of 
architectural art ; for it is such works which make 



HIKKjKLYN. _L 

foreigners cntertAiii a liigh opiniuu of the pcHjplt.' of 
any country, uud is u couipeusation to the tmvellcr 
for his labour in seeking what is noble und exaltetl, 
either in the world of art or of nuturt*. The struutd 
are narrow aiul very long, and tlie «listancos ari- great 
from the sight:* one ii» anxious to overtake ; Imt the 
tramway cars obviate this, and you can go over four 
or five miles for the small sum of twojience-luUl- 
penny, or a shade less, the sum being five cents, and 
consideriug the small charge, the tramway slotk is 
the best investment in tiie country to original holders- 
This is the result of the great numbers who lake 
advantage of this means of loc*omotion. The distance's 
are great, and the money seems plentiful with all 
classes, who spend it freely. The cars are much the 
same an they are here, but about twelve inches wider 
inside, giving more freedom to move in and tuit. 
There is no travelling on the top of the cars. The 
excessive heat in summer and extreme cold in wint^T 
may account for that ; but one going from this ctuin- 
Iry feels disposed to get up. from the fact that the 
top <jf a ciir or 'bus is the very best sjmiI for sigiitM-eing 
Hut shadow and sluide arc sought for then*, and ant 
indisfieusable to all ; for the sun wuiUd ultimately 
lick up and nxluce to a crisp those thin wiry ci' ■ 
we see carrie<l tt» ami fn) by every car which i 
were they to exi>«>se then»>elve.H unneres>arily. Tiiure 
1, III. ..f]i. r f.itiirr tliiit ..ills fill ri'in.iik iu «.iiiin.'ctioli 



22 THE STATES AND CANApA. 

Avith the cars themselves. The structure of the way 
is very inferior to what it is in this country. This 
may be occasioned by the inferiority of the streets 
tliem selves, for if there are some things in which we 
are behind the Yankees, it is not in streets or street- 
]naking. I think in that particular they are a period 
commensurable with their independence behind us. 
In some matters they urge their juvenility as a reason, 
but we will not presume to say what the reason is in 
this case. The severe frosts, the heavy falls of rain, 
the hot weather, are all against them, for I know they 
have tried everything but the right thing, and when 
tliey discover that, I doubt not but that their roads 
will be equal to any in creation. A thunderstorm, 
accompanied by rain, which falls so heavily, that a few 
minutes suffice to turn the level streets into canals, 
and the cars seem to be going along the surface of 
the water. There are some of the cars which are 
open and have eight seats, to which you enter by the 
side of the car, and are protected by a flat covering 
on the top and curtains let down at the side in winter; 
and they are very airy in hot weather. And again, 
the number of the cars is something that is quite 
astonishing. You may go to any spot where they 
are run, and where the traffic warrants it, of course, 
and you will find that they pass at the rate of a 
himdred in an hour. At some places it i.s greater, 
for it is not an unusual thinu' to see four lines of rails 



BK«M»KI.YN. 23 

on one stjvct, aiul bv allowing; nii intiTvid i»l tw<» 
minuter for each ciir, you have an eDtiniate of the 

extent of the tratti.- '' • '• .. .1. - .^ .»,. .;^.:,. 

centres in Brooklyn 

There is no .>>{iecial U;,ttmc .iUmi: lin- j-ul.lu I'UiUl- 
ings that calls for any remark ; iiuk'ed, Itr<M klyn 
mokes no a&suiuittion to l»e recojrniHiil for anything 
reiuurkable about it but its churches and its un-uir- 
{•assable anil ma^^niticent Cemetery of (Jreenwood. 
Ther« may W other cenieteries in the worhl fumed 
on account of their strikin;^' hi^torical and chis-ieal 
incidents and associations ; but for i>osition, desi^, 
natural beauty, and rare examples of memoritU and 
:m:hitectural art, It luis no pandlel anywhere. It is 
some two miles out of the city, ami the cars took u» 
to tile ^atewsiy at the northern entrance. But one 
cannot |»ass in if he has any n?li.sh for the tine art* 
without firnt deciphering the allegorical beauties and 
lessfins on the stone- work of the gateway. The 
structure is n( (lothic an;hit4*cture. over one hundred 
and thirty feet in length, and one luindaHl and «ix 
feet high t*) the t«i|» of the mid«lle spire or t r 
There are two small spires or towers, and the bui t : . .-s 
naturally form two openinj^ii; these openings are 
tilled in with floriated (lolhic arches and quatr. '' ' 
and in the centre an* four thieliU on which are • 
of Faith, I-4>ve, Ho|ie. an i llelow. 111 ihu 

jMinelK of tile anhes. an- ' : the " lUisuig of 



24 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

Lazurus," "Eaising of the Widow's Son," "The 
Savioiir's Entombment," and " The Resurrection." In 
the centre are a clock and bell ; the latter tolls on 
the occasion of a funeral. The centre tower or spire 
is supported by flying buttresses, which run through 
the building between the 'Gothic arches over the 
gateway. The wings of the gateway are taken up 
with cemetery offices, &c. This gateway is only used 
by visitors on foot or in carriages ; funerals go in and 
leave by an entrance for funerals only. The cemetery 
extends for miles, the space occupied by it being 
some five hundred acres. There are lakes, reservoirs 
and fountains, chapels, catacombs, sarcophagi, and an 
endless variety of all kinds of monumental works ; 
and these are almost wholly composed of white 
marble. I will only refer to one as a sample. There 
are many such, but as the person to whose family 
this belongs has a world-wide notoriety, T will take 
it. The person I refer to was a Scotchman, who 
went to the States over forty years ago, from Aber- 
deen, and was distinguished for his indomitable forti- 
tude, his chequered social career and tortuous political 
proclivities, and his ultimate success in his enterprise 
in connection with the Neiv Yorl' Herald. James 
Gordon Bennett bought, and his family possesses, 
one of these beautiful spots in this cemetery, and the 
group of fine sculpture work which is enclosed witi'iin 
the palisade and balustrade is wortli going a long 



BI«X)KLYX. 2'» 

way to soe. On a i>otU«.stnl. nliout six feet high, is iiii 
angel about the same height, hohling aloft an infant, 
while on a cushion Ixjsiile the mother is knei'ling, 
with her hands clasped and face upturned to heaven, 
as if giving away her child. The work is of the first 
onler, was executed in Italy, and of the finest Carrara 
marble. The lace shawl which is thn»wn over the 
mother's head, and the rich, full folds of the satin 
dress, are wonderful works to come from n mallet and 
chisel. And we wonder, also, how they retain their 
purity and shar|)ness, cxjMtsed lus they are to tin- 
weather, and to the floating germs of vegetation, for 
the place is thickly woodtnl in the vicinity of this 
group. It wouM fill a volume to describe the various 
works of interest which are hen- strewtsl all over 
the immense spa»'e ; the groves full of ronuuitic 
Ijeauty and fragrance, their silence only broken by 
the quick juid monot<inous music fnim the myriails 
of gras8hopi)ers which dwell on the grassy s1j|x?8 of 
the avenues, ami the soft cadences fr«»m the fidling 
watc'rs at the fountains, as they are U»rne along on 
generous bree/c.^ thr«>ugh the lanes and alcoves of 
this City of the I lead. There is one featun- connected 
with the cemeteries whicli I will refer to when I 
liave the subject on hand. It does not apply to 
(Jreenwood, however, so much as it d<x*.H to nther 
burial places which lie near to the gn-at luittlrfirlds 

i.f tin* T'lliiiJi li.Ti- )ii.Ui-\iT Mill :ili- until!. .l fur 



:2b THE STATES AND CANADA. 

here and there you can see the grave of a soldier, 
and on it a miniature of the "Stars and Stripes" 
planted over the body of the dead hero, and once a 
year, on a certain day called " Decoration Day," 
the friends, comrades, mothers, wives, sisters, or 
other patriots, come and plant anew the " Star- 
Spangled Banner" over the graves of those who fell 
in the strife between the North and South. In one 
cemetery I saw what appeared a little army of the 
dead with a tiny flag at everyone's head. If the 
advantages in this union are commensurate with the 
sacrifice of liuman life, those who decorate the graves 
will have a sad pleasure in the melancholy act. 

We will leave the cemetery, and turn our steps to a 
plain-looking church in one of the lanes of Brooklyn 
— a place which forms a contrast with the situation 
of many of the churches in the city. It is a plain, 
massive, brick building, like our Town Hall, but not 
so large. We went in, expecting the Eev. Mr 
Beecher to occupy his own pulpit or rostrum. The 
pews are sparsely filled, ominous of disappointment 
to us. His place is taken shortly by a stranger, and 
then we feel we have plenty of time to look around 
for anything that is noteworthy. A very large organ 
occupies the recess behind the platform. It looks 
larger than the one in the Town Hall, and the choir 
is in front of it, and the preacher in front of that 
again. A bouquet of flowers is set on a snxall table 



HKOOKLYN. 

at tin; right hmui side, which also contJiiiis what 
bcx>ks are U8e<l. A su)>onlinate pveti out a hymn, 
which is sung with an acc<ini]»aniiui'nt, the s;uue 
person reads any notice «f meetings for the coming 
week — the collection is made and the ])n'acher stops 
forwanl. gives out his text, and the sermon Itegins. 
Tlie singing is done standing, and as that luus entailed 
a little ettbrt the fans are called into action, and 
their gentle hreezcs per\'ade the whole church, and 
make it comfortahle. The heat must In? awful when 
the church is |Micked, ami jHissiMy it is a wise pn*- 
caution on the jwirt of the minister to aksent himstdf 
when the weather is ver}' hot. and may Ik? pnxluctive 
of longevity in jMistor and jieople. It may be aske<l 
why this divine has such a jKXjr church. (VmijMireil 
with srnne in the city, it is laiye, airy, and the 
acoustics an.' goo<l. ami 1 Iwdieve he pn-fers the 
money lai«l out in mon' neiilful and charitahle ways. 
Xo man in the nunistrk* has the power of raising 
money e<iual to him, for monuments of his work are 
to l»e seen as we jmiss along, We tak«' the cars and 
ride two niih-s or so int<» the cotmtry. an<l \vr come 
to a large (juaint (Jothic palace, huilt with variegatiHl 
hrick» and atone, with counno<lious groundii aur- 
rounding it, and evor>* appeamnce of comfort. We 
ask what kind o( institution it is. and we an- told 
it is " lU-oeher's Kt»undling MiMpital." Such an- the 
kind of works the man engages in. Their nmgnitude 



28 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

shows his great capacity, and he has always some 
one on hand, and these take him from home at times, 
to glean in other and wider fields than are in 
Brooklyn. 



( II A I- I I. I; i \ 



NKW YiiHK. 

1 ONcKheanl a jKirson remark that to Iw ilro|)jH»<l in 
the streets of I>iin(lon without a penny in one's pocket 
and without a friend would Iv a calamity of no 
ordinary kind. I ])re.sume it woidd l>e much the 
same were a jK?rson to U' set down in Hroadwuy in 
similar ciroumstances. In the first place, you feel 
yourself lost in the wildemens of stone, hricks, 
marble, and iron, which surround you; in the intor- 
minahle antl cn»wded arteries of the city whidi 
stretch from you in all directions, and lose thcms<'lves 
in the distant iH'rsiK?ctivc ; and to pursue one's way 
throned) the busy, bustlinj;, striving and struf^jlini.! 
irowd is a task of time, nHjuirin^; some enerj^- ami 
caution, and y(»u natiiniUy feel disjmsed to contem- 
plate all this pressure and bu.stlinj; activity from 
some quiet 8|)ot, where you can get the outline of the 
city, and an idea of its extent and chamct4ir. You 
look aliout iin<l see a chundi of (Jothic structun*— 
Trinity Chunh with its spin* jKH-rin^' over the top 
of nil the ndjat:ent buildinj^s. and y«ni inquin* if it be 
INmsible to get tip on this Tisgnli to see this gcMxlly 
Ian! ' '- ' ♦retcheii around. studd<Ml with t«'mph*s, 



30 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

palaces and workshops, and clear sparkling rivers 
and bays crowded with richly freighted argosies and 
barges, of divers size and rig. We climb the dizzv 
height and scan the expansive map, which lies 
stretched out far below, and mark the land running 
far out and joining the waters of the Atlantic, and 
the far off hills and promontories, lying robed in the 
golden radiance of the noonday sun. The streets 
chiefly run at right angles with the avenues, which 
are the chief lines of the city. Broadway is seen 
from this point to great advantage, and it is here 
where -one gets the correctest notion of the extent of 
the trade of the city, so far as that can be got by the 
use of the eye, and the outward evidence of trade and 
commerce. A short way from here, to the right, 
are the greatest number of offices connected with the 
shipping, and across that part of Broadway there are 
about 200 telegraph wires, connecting the Exchange 
and banking-houses, and the various mercantile firms 
of this city together. The Custom House, the 
Treasury and Post Offices are all near to this part 
of the city, and Wall Street is the great centre 
ruiming through the whole. One building strikes 
us — it is of white marble — and for the site on which 
it stands one million dollars were paid ; the sum, 
also, which was expended in its construction must 
have been great. There is an imposing and chaste 
grandeur about the building which is productive of 



NKW YORK. Al 

feeliuj** which, I »upi»«»!*e. one wuuKl Iw iiifluencctl 
with, were he stuiuliii^ near to a fjreat ieebei^. It 
is a hanking-hoUM.', nn*l calle«l '• The Drexel II(»uh<'."' 
for one of the ])n»i»rii'torh TheM' white nittrl)!*- 
pahiccb are conuuon enou<;h in New York. Within 
a short (iifttanoe <»f this oiif are iiiaiiy such ; but thr 
Drexel HonHe is freiih fn>ni the chisel, and is really 
a rare and noble exani]»ie of nmrble work. S«^»iiie «'f 
these white biiililm^'H .Htaiml ont in bold relief wIumi 
»urrouude<l with buildiiij,'> ooiu]Mt.Hed of brickwork 
There is one thiiij^ whu h is worthy of remark, and i- 
noticeable from an eminence like this There is no 
smoke to U* seen over all this j^reat city, except from 
two or three public works, which iiuiy Ik* hurniii.: 
Home other ihinj; than coal. fiu-*the cojd hen* hii> 
no smoke, and hence all the white buildin<;Fi n'tai:i 
their purity for a long time outride; and this exemp- 
tion from smoke and soot influences uverythiii}; in thf 
city, and ^reat cleanliness is the result. There ai>' 
ver\' many buiKliii^^ which an- of ^timu inter»'st, but 
the building which abs«irbs tiie gn'uti'hi amount nf 
interest is the St(»ck Kxcluuige. The heart-strings 
of this great community an> wrapt round it, for all 
siieculate in stocks of one kiiui or another, and hem •• 
the life-bloo<l of this great commercial centre i! ^ 
out from the Kxchunge liy the thoUHanil ait<i. 
which we see s|Ninniiig th«' striniis uiid princi|Mil 
rommercinl »•..'■-•- ' ••■ ■n >i - where me^■llllMt^ 



32 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

most do congregate are to be seen these small 
telegraphic intelligencies speaking out the state of 
the various stocks at all times of the day. One can 
see them in the windows of offices and on the side 
tables in restaurants, going click, click, while the 
white tape runs out as the machine records the price 
of gold or other stock. They seem to be thorough 
adepts at iigures and often consulted by the passing 
thousands, and are the great oracles of the destinies 
of the New Yorkers. A visit to the Exchange has 
an interest of a 'kind to one not commercially inte- 
rested. You are aware of the fact of being introduced 
to where business is being publicly carried on; but if 
one were to go in, ignorant of the character of the 
place, he might take it for a mad-house, especially if 
business were at fever heat when he chanced to be 
there. The privilege of being allowed to do business 
at the Exchange is purchased at a large sum — 
perhaps there is no favour, for even that is a purchas- 
able commodity — for all things resolve themselves 
into negociable material through the medium of the 
centre of power — the "Almighty Dollar." This 
lever makes and unmakes "States and Constitutions." 
The law is all powerful or relaxed as it is applied ; 
the judge is severe or considerate in proportion to 
the prospect he has of a sensible return for these 
judicial qualities. The sword of justice is put into 
the scales, and her eyes are only sealed when her 



NEW YOItK. 33 

favour is bought All tliis kind of business, however, 
is not done on the Exi'hanj>e; you eon discover knots of 
busy speculators on the public streets, vending; stock as 
in the Exchange, and conilucting thfuisehes in the 
more sensible and decorous luaiuier nf the two. I have 
spoken of buildings of stone, brick, ami n»arble. but I 
forgot at the tinie to refer to another material which 
is well represented in all the chief streetj* of this and 
other large cities of the Union. Marble aiul iron 
are the materials fn)m which tiie largest and finest 
blocks of buildings are comjxjsetl. I have referreil 
to a Hank, and will only refer to an Insurance Ortice 
and to the otVice of the Xac York JfcraU. iNtssibly 
these stnictures. and the business conducted in them, 
are unpanillele*! in the world. Though the kindness 
of a gentleuuin, formerly of (Jreenock. I wjus intro- 
duced to a number of gentlemen in the " t/juitable," 
and was shown over the establishment, and finished 
on the top of the building, which is 114 feet high; 
and from this an excellent view of th«; city is 
obtaine<l. Tlie nK)fs of nearly all the buildingn are 
flat, and are aj>plie«l to variou.s pur|MtM's. On this 
there is an observatory for astronomicul and meteoro- 
logical studies, and oflices for various purposes are 
in the building, but the main {Mirtion of it is devoted 
to the business of the " f>{uitable." In the main 
flat is a large otVue, rising to the height of 3l> fet't or 
tliertl.v. Hiid the ceiling' in covereil with ^^tuiuid Ax-Mi 



34 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

and is supported by large pillars of variegated marble. 
The desks of the officials are all enclosed by light rails 
of ornamental bronze work, and communicating with 
one another by gates of a similar description. Eound 
the main office are ofiices and retiring rooms, dining 
room, and lavatories, and consulting rooms ; and 
above, about midway, is a balcony, with entrances 
to other apartments of the officials ; but the extent of 
the whole may be best conceived by the amount of 
business done by this Society, which amounted last 
year to the enormous sum of 51,911,079,00 dollars, 
and their transactions in cash being for the year the 
sum of 8,420,044,86 dollars, being the largest of any 
office in the Union by seventeen million dollars. In 
this, like many of the larger modern buildings, 
although there is a stair case, the easier method of 
ascending and descending by means of an elevator is 
adopted. There is one on each side, and all folks 
when rising in the world take the advantage of tliem. 
The office of the New York Herald is not so high 
above the street as the " Equitable," but there are 
two storeys below the level of the street M'here 
machinery is kept and heavy work is done. The 
third floor or storey is devoted chiefly to receiving 
advertisements and similar work, and a portion is 
occupied by shops, as is the case with nearly all large 
buildings. The revenue from this kind of occupancy 
is so remunerative that all proprietors let the street 



NEW VOUIL 35 

or piirt of the street storey as storej*. The five or six 
storeys above are printing offices, and occupied by the 
varif»u3 brandies connected. Next in style and 
uiagnitlcence to these marble and ]^Tuuite pile^i are 
•"ue iron building;!*, and wiicn paiuteil while, as they 
usually are, they win l>e put in close juxtaposition 
with the marble for beauty and general design and 
ipjK'arance, when these? arc sought and not strength. 
I'he iron ornamental buihlings in HnKjklyii. Now 
Vork, Philadelphia, aiitl otiicr large cities, are finer than 
I he marble ones tV»r sharpness of ornament, free<lom 
of detail, and general architectural arrangements, and 
lor lightness. I omitttfti to state, when speaking on 
the subject of the Iff raid office, the extent of news- 
l':i|)er printing in New York, as may be inferred 
ironi the army of boys who are engaged in the solo 
.lud carriage of them in various ways. One can 
scarcely believe it, but two years ago the number waa 
>et down at 9,0U0, and we natunilly presume the 
iiumlier to have increased since that jKiriiKl. This 
1 -ranch of indu>»lry, to which so many of the juveniles 
devote themselves, must tend t4) much g«HKl in 
providing labour for so many who would nin the 
risk of being captivated by some of the liuis reputiible 
i^ to which so many of the lioys apply 
\Vc Uiiglit go aliiiig liroiulway and the 
lH>wery, ami tind much that is iiitfresling on 
fxamining iln- i'\f.ri..r <.r luimv <.f iln- liniLlm ■, m 



36 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

these thoroughfares. Perhaps if I take one. We 
have seen a bank, an insurance and a newspaper 
office. N"ow, at the other side, we have a large 
mercantile house belonging to a gentleman who 
began life as a schoolmaster, and who was asked not 
long ago to become Secretary of State by President 
Grant, when he first accepted office. This white 
marble repository of dry goods is not inferior to the 
others I have referred to. It is six storeys high, and 
it occupies a block 100 or 152 feet, being the whole 
block bounded by four streets. There are entries 
at all the streets, and you enter by a stair or elevator 
to whatever flat you wish to do business in. In the 
centre of the building is a very large dome, and the 
entire inside or central part of the building is lighted 
by it, and the floors are supported by tiers of arches, 
and between are open balustrading, and in moving 
round these you can see all the business operations 
going on inside on all the flats. We can see or learn 
from this example the great capacity which resides 
with many of the gentlemen in New York for 
business, that kind of it which is implied in the 
character of the place I liave submitted; but that is 
not the limit, for in an old paper I got into my hands 
it contained the remark, "that the people of Great 
Britain were at a loss to know who would be al)le to 
fill Mr Gladstone's place, if such a vacancy should 
occur. Here," they said, "we could find thousands 



NEW YORK. 37 

to do so." All JUJpire to be civil ami i>olitical 
aduuimtrators. The aspirutious of those who have 
the ambition to feel their relation to jxjlitical and 
civil duties of the State^j can be discerned at an early 
If a child is born within the confines of an 
: »• in a country where Monarchy is the power of 
govenuueut, the aim wuuld be to fit the scion to fill 
the importiint duties which wait for it in its riper 
yei»rs. In a Republic every lialje is an heir to 
imjHirial honour and jxiwer ; and it is amusing to 
notice the halo of imiwrtance that is alluwetl to till 
and encircle those puny, chattering and spoiled apes 
from the time they know anything till the time they 
entertain supreme contempt for those who have boea 
chiefly instrumcntid in inflating them with monkified 
accomplishmentsS. Ixit us turn aaide and look at a 
building of a difTercnt kind from any we have noticed 
yet. It is of stone, and on the |>ediment is a figure 
of an Indian. It is a common-place looking building, 
but uther than common-place administmtors have 
emanatetl from it. It is the forum where the 
" Tiunmany King " digestcnl and mature<l those 
measures which were intended to make their city 
and State models that the residue of the Union 
Wuuld regard with wonder and admiration for purity 
and disintere.>)teilness ; but now that its U<ncheji are 
silent, the elcMjuence of those |Mitriotii huslunl, and 
t),.. tir.. ,.f f|i,.ir |)atriotiHm quenched, why does 



38 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

not the city go into sackcloth and ashes and wail for 
the great who have fallen, whose weapons of war 
have perished ? 

The streets of New York are superior to any you 
see in the east part of the Union, but even they are 
not equal to the streets in our best towns and cities. 
The traffic is so great they soon get worn out, and I 
don't know that any great effort is made by contrac- 
tors to make this kind of work substantial and lasting. 
There seems to be considerable success in connection 
with their efforts to make their fire brigade efficient 
for the speedy extinguishing of fires by introducing 
facilities for effecting that by every means and agencies. 
At the stations, of which there are some forty in all, 
the steam-engines stand fully equipped with fire kind- 
ling, horses saddled, and firemen all waiting for 
the alarm bell ; when that sounds, the horses 
leave their stable and walk into the engine, which is 
kindled at once, and away the whole rush like an 
avalanche ; and the steam, if the distance is great, is 
up, and the engine is in working trim by the time it 
arrives at the fire ; there are iron ladders fixed 
behind the houses, or before the houses if it is impos- 
sible to have them fixed behind, and the occvipants 
can ascend on to the house-top and get away by the 
top of the adjoining house, or descend by them to the 
ground. These ladders enable the firemen to ascend 
when their own ladders are not available, and give 



NKW YOHK. 39 

theiii -jnt.i\ i.K uiiK-s for oporatinf; on the burning 
house. 

In this, like all liirjjc rities. tho channels for .ul 
niinisterinj,' sensual delight an* numerous ; hut in tlie 
BtlU Stiimn the delights which most delight a Yankee 
are his buggj- and his buce|»halu8. Let him get 1)6- 
hind anything with four legs that will only run fast 
enough, and then he is at home. He does not seem 
to care how the onUwker feels, nor how murh hv is 
concer!ied for his safety. Away he dashes like a 
whirlwind, as if his and the nation's destiny de- 
pended on the velocity of his fragile and trembling 
machine. In the Central Park one can. on any Satur- 
day afternoon es|H'cially, encounter a legion of th«'80 
airy, wirj', bristling chariots rushing with stamiK-de 
impetuosity along the crowdeil drives of that tleliglit- 
ful and extensive imrk. Here you cxin find all da^sea 
that are at hf»me, those who have nf»t gone to Sarat«»ga 
or Long lirnnch, but prefer the rn)wds ar«>untl the 
band stands, or love to lounge in the grott<x«s or 
groves, or over the stone |)araiK'ts by the lakes, and 
watch the swans gliding along the glaasy mimmt of 
water, and the rich inuiges of the small Iwr^'OH. as 
they sail jiast with their canopirs of gay colour^ an«l 
infantile crews, or admire the golden fish siuirkle in 
the fountains, as they startle at the falling of the 
crystal spray. There is a representative of every 
nation to be found here, but one especially with foa- 



40 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

tures as decisive as if yon had found him by Babel's 
streams thinking of his Zion. Crowds of Jews are 
here, for this is their Sabbath, and their worship is 
done, and they have come hither to spend the re- 
mainder of the day, and admire the beauty of the 
scene and works of art. On the sides of the avenues 
are to be seen statues of Shakespeare, Scott, Burns, 
and Morse and other new world celebrities ; and on 
the stoneworks at the stairs at the archways are allego- 
rical las reliefs of the Seasons, admirably cut on free- 
stone, and surrounded with a great variety of Mosaic 
entablatures and other ornamental filigree work. The 
lawns are wide and ample, and the youths are en- 
gaged in all kinds of sports, and the youngsters are 
sporting and bounding like gazelles in every glade ; 
and on the retired spots pic-nic parties are holding 
their orgies, and gathering new strength, vigour, and 
life to arm them for their labours of the coming week 
of toil. A sylvan retreat like this must be a fountain 
of life to the toiling thousands of a city like New 
York. 



11 A r 1 1. 1. \ 



THK RAILROAD SOl'TH. 



There are many things about New York worthy of a 
passing notice, Imt Jis my intention is not to writ« a 
history, and as simihir things will fall to l>e noticed 
as I prosecute my journey in other places, I will re- 
fiain from noticing them at present. There are rail- 
ways communicating with New York tlirect. but in 
going South one has to take the ferry-lwat and 
pass over to New Jersey siile and go from there by 
rail, and in doing so I have arrivetl at the first rail- 
way station I have l>een at in the countrj' ; and I feel 
disap|K»inted, for I am t^uite impressetl with the fact 
that this one does not do justice to the great countiy 
that it is in. Other institutions have oflices which 
do them ju.Htice, and impress the foreigner with their 
commercial im|Mirtance; but perchance this one may 
be exceptional. One naturally thinks that marble 
and iron might 1m} used in their construction, and 
as this one is virtually a city station it ought to have 
something of the nlative grandeur of the city alwut 
it, and hence y«»u an; m(»re di.HjMme*! tt» find fault on 
this account But it is otherwise with the earn when 
in their pristine freshness. Tlien* '<* .vi.l. mK un 



42 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

effort made to make the cars both handsome and com- 
fortable, and even luxurious. The interiors of them 
are fiuished with much taste, the fittings are magnifi- 
cent, especially in the palace cars : for in a country 
where so much liberty, fraternity, and equality pre- 
vail, and has greater facilities for carrying out im- 
provements than in this country where so many 
distinctions are recognised and accepted as legitimate, 
you can hire the emigrant car, the ordinary, or the 
palace and sleeping cars. In the palace car you are 
attended by a coloured gentleman, and you can have 
anything your taste may dictate. You can fare 
sumptuously all the day, and at night your palace, by 
the stroke of the black attendant's wand, is transmo- 
grified into a palace of another kind, where you can 
commit your weary limbs to rest, and allow yourself 
to be luUabied to sleep by the deep and sonorous 
music from the vibrating metals below. The interiors 
of these cars are draped with hangings, sofas, tables, 
and everything which is calculated t,o take the mind 
of the traveller from the fact of travelling to the com- 
forts of a home. The ordinary car is well fitted, the 
sofas are comfortable, of which there is one on each 
side holding two persons, and there is a passsge down 
the centre affording full and free communication with 
the whole train, if you are a saloon car passenger. 
The inside of the car is about 10 feet in the centre of 
the ceiling, and from 40 to 50 feet long. The whole 



TIIK K\ll.i:<»Ai> s«Mni. 4:t 

upiHT j>art of the car is deconiU?d with showy orna- 
ment, nml the Hides are finisheil in {toIishiKl wixxl- 
work. with inlay or marqurtrrU. I^inps are hung 
from the roof at inter\al8 of 10 feet or so, an<l at 
one end you have a stove and at the other yo»» have 
a cahimt (Taijumcf. The exteriors of the cars are done 
in the same showy manner as the inside, with fanci- 
ed decorations, and sonietinies the (juality aiu\ some- 
times the ilcstination of the car is painted on it. The 
car is sup|)orte<l below hy two triple axles, liavinj; 
three wheels on each, so that if one of them should 
break no danger or risk ensues to the train or pas- 
sengers. 

It was night when I emiMirke*! in this train of novel 
cars, and my first ride and the tout msfmhlf was t<^ me 
deci<le«lly novel ; there wjus a general murky gloom 
pervading the entire scene, the liun])s in the cars c»nly 
diffusing' a sort of misty glare. Many wen* running 
to and fro looking for the si-ction of the tmin that 
waa to he their asylum for the night. Some who 
had got into the wrong car were hurrying out to get 
into another. .Some were busy getting the baggage 
checke<l, and the usual " hurr)'-skurry " was U-ing 
enacted from common to (juick time, as the train was 
aWit to move otf. At hwt the shrill pijn? sounded, 
and I left New Jersey for newer scenes in the S<iuth. 
It ia a common matter for a train on leaving any 
place to run along one or more HtnM>Ls for a long way 



44 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

and to provide against accidents all the engines are 
provided with large bells, which are kept in motion 
from the time the train starts till it is quite clear of 
the habitable parts through which it is steaming, and 
when that is accomplished the train moves off at a 
steady measure. The speed is much the same as at 
home, and I never had occasion to note any extra 
engineering acrobatism by any engines or train by 
which I travelled. 

I presume the Yankees understand the necessity of 
railroad travellers economising time by the way, on 
the principle that he who runneth may read, for the 
backs of railway tickets, and every available spot 
where advertisements can be seen, are utilised. The 
plain surfaces of rocks, palings, enclosures, trees, 
&c., are covered with an array of characters defying 
the genius of bill posting to emulate ; so that when 
one comes to any city he does not need to waste his 
time by inquiries as to where the good, better, and 
best of everything are to be had, at the cheap, cheaper, 
and cheapest cost that it is possible to sell them at. 

At home when once you adjust yourself in your 
corner you can consign yourself to your doubtful 
slumbers in the arms of Morpheus, and feel yourself 
gently refreshed by a short span of oblivion in the 
care of that dreamy deity; but only try it outside of 
the palace, sleeping, or saloon cars, and wake to dis- 
cover your mistake; for every now and again the 



THK ICAIUIOAD SOUTH. I 

doors at the ends of the cars ure slainuicd and in 
stalks a youthfid orator, who informs you in a sten- 
torian pitch that ho can supply you with something 
for the brain, the digestive organs, or something you 
couKl give away to a fricntl witliout entailing an 
enonnous sacrifice ; and this at short intorvuls, one 
considers somewhat plaguy; but a.s it is productive of 
that which enables you to enjoy what is partially 
amusing and interesting by the way, you are inclined 
to overlmik it. 

After having partetl with friends at the station, 
and pro<'ee<ling to still more distant States, one 
naturally feels disposed to ruminate on the stningo 
surroundings, strange faces, strange sounds, distance 
fronw home, thoughts of collision, goings off the truck, 
getting telesco|H*d. an<l fuiding youn<eir in the grills 
of a cowcatcher, or a.«irending in the monnlight in a 
cloud of burning va|K)ur, to find yourself shortly 
floundering on a shingle roof, or ]>aying an abrupt 
and unwelcome vi.sit to the ilrcaming inmates. 
Thought will make all these fantii'^tie innmds into 
tlio domain of proUibility, out of whi« h yoii find 
yourself dragginl by a sudden relaxation of speed, 
accompanic<l by a clash, making you feel a« you had 
wake<l from a dream. A voice rings into your ears 
a name which is familiar to you. and you li!*t4'n for 
its repitition ; anon the name Bristol i.>^ ning out 
without nnv Uiistakr. nn«l \<mi h.'^jin tn feel that vou 



46 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

have been dreaming, and are on a trip to merry 
England, when another clash and jerk occur, and 
the name of Kensington is rung out. You look 
about, but it is dark, then you try to reflect, but 
you have scarcely light enough for that, and 
conclude that you are in the Metropolitan, and you 
are underground, but by-and-bye you will arrive at 
Charing Cross, and it is all right. In this half- 
pleased, half-dreamy state you resign yourself to the 
future care and guidance of your conductor; 
contented with this effort to compose yourself, you 
take another transient dose with the sleepy god, for 
your rest is now becoming more necessary; but again 
you start up and find the train at rest, the 
conductor calling out that the train has arrived at 
Mantua, and in a confused and bamboozled condition 
of mind you conclude you are on a foreign tour after 
all, and shortly you will be sure to meet some of the 
Gentlemen of Verona as you pass along, since you 
have been so curiously successful as to get into Italy. 
And now you begin in a reverie to review and 
censure the crooked and devious ways of the great 
people of the great country you are sojourning in ; 
but, after a great deal of cross-examination, you feel 
disposed to leave them where you found them for 
the present, until they and you become better ac- 
quainted, then you decide the best thing you can do 
is to take another draught of this curiously mixed 



THE KAILROAD SOUTH. 4/ 

repose while pursuiug your tortuous \vauilerinj,'a to 
the SoutJi. 

One canuot for tlio life of him rufniiii from on 
effort to ascertAin why all this diversity of name* of 
places has taken place, and ou the first chajicc you 
ask some oue whom you cousiiler sufticieutly intelli- 
geut tu enlighteu you on tliis curious, puzzling, and 
douhtful iHjint, and are told that in all likelihootl 
tlie first settlers came from places of the same names; 
but after a little cogitation your i>eq)lexity lieauuea 
more jicrplexing, for you reason, who could come from 
Babylon, Syracuse, or Troy, Nineveh, Carthage, or 
Athens? Fnmj the last certainly it was iK)s.sibl«'. but 
not at all likely; but these are fine names and are 
evidently indicative of a people of taste, learning, 
culture, of large and cxpiuisive ideas, and who are 
anxious to write a |>age in the history of the world 
which will Iw reml by subseiiuent nations with w«in- 
der and admiration, the grandeur and sublimity 
of whose exploit* in the arts of jHiace and war will 
naturally dim and eclipse those of the ancient world, 
and then these places will take the place of the birth- 
plau'S of the htatesmen. the hi?nxs, the philosopiiers, 
jKHsts, mechanicians, and merchants who were the 
cliii'f actors in the <lr.iiii.i "f lif.- ..m tin- ^\.v^>- <f tlio 
early civiliaod worl i 

lIi»\v<'Ver, we mil >_\ iiij'.itmsc «itii .m .i-i.i;iij4 
{K-M^iiu who aim at ac4uiring the fame and distim tiwu 



48 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

which were ranked with the names of these places in 
olden times, and we ought to hope that all their sub- 
sequent efforts and ambition will take their tone and 
complexion from their high-sounding key-note. Their 
acts have shown them to be a people equal to the 
position, circumstances, or situation of the time; and 
seeing they are so closely allied to ourselves, we ought 
in' charity to wish them well and that they may 
prosper. We know that many have gone from this 
country, leaving behind them anything but a bles- 
sing. The same may hold regarding other nation- 
alities, and these may have tried to blot out all the 
instincts, the reminiscences, and associations of their 
early homes, by adopting names that had no claim 
but that of being used by one of the early Kepublics. 
But, again, there are undoubted evidences of honest 
representative men, and one feels pleased, especially 
if he is a Scotchman, on hearing the broad, homely, 
and distinctively national name of Camlachie sounded 
out when he comes up to a station, and perhaps after 
he has been dinned with a succession of names out- 
landish, unutterable, unmusical, and only serving to 
bring to memory the days when Eed Indians roamed 
at large through the primeval fields and forests of the 
great Continent. 

Daylight begins to break, and we have run across 
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and now we are on the 
confines of Maryland. We have passed the ancient 



TIIK K.VlI.KttVJi son II 40 

apitAl in the tinrk, but we will jji*t a t inn. - ..i i^.eing 
it n|^in afl^r »ecin«j the iiKxlern one. Meanwhile, 
!.-t us take a look at the country as it thn:»ws off the 
I'liinket of ni^'ht and gTadually attires -it^self with the 
-obor rolies of the morning's freshness. 

The countr}' is very unlike the pttople. There arc 
no «^>at temples clad in verdure, burying their domes 
in the fleecy clouds which are floating overhead; but 
the land is nuHlest.and rising gently, with undulating 
bills, crowned and rrdx^l with the remnants of wood 
und forest, which the woodmen, the early .settlers, 
have spared, and which now serN'es to beautify the 
lan<l. On the bnmd gre«'n patches are the log and 
farm houses, and lu're and there, in some retiring 
spot, you can see the hut of the s^piatter, who even 
(lisdains to be the subject of a Hepublie. He is fain 
to use the earth, the sea, the air, the skie^), and 
patient enough to wait till the proprietor calls for 
rent or taxes. Tliere are .some fiebls which give 
evidence of lalmur and culture, but rudely and 
unevenly fence<l ; others are dotted with n>otM of 
trees which have rcniaine<l in them for years, ami the 
ground that int<'r\'enes is cultivated and sown with 
all kindn of prtKluce, Indian com always lieing con- 
spicuous. Here und then* the rivers are stn-n coursing 
and threatiing their way in the valleys ; now and 
then you sec a bird of gay plumage, but of tuneloM 
worth, start from irvc to tree. There are no Intlgtai. 

B 



50 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

and the boundaries of parks, plots, &c., are ill 
defined. The snake fence is purely a characteristic 
of the back-wood, and on all railroads thousands of 
miles of it are to be seen, employed enclosing grounds 
in all directions, hence the neatness and compactness 
of our home farms are awanting. But we are now 
nearing the great centre — the political centre of the 
great Eepublic— and the white dome of the capitol is 
moving along slowly like a snow-clad mountain-top 
as we near it by a circuitous course. We approach 
by one of the streets or avenues for a mile or more, 
and latterly we reach a wooden shed which is 
dignified by the name of station, but is virtually unfit 
for a lumber store, and now we have reached the 
capital by the Pennsylvania Air-line Eailroad. 



(' U A !• T K l: V I 



WASlIINr.ToN, THK KKDEK.M. rlT\ 

WiiES one arrives in this city of imi;;niticeiii ... .....^ . .-, 

ht? is at once taken chaise of by soiiu* re|iresentutive 
of cue or other of its hotels, for there un» Huuie 
hulf-ilozen or so of 'buses in waiting, and when any 
one appears who is susi)ecteil of bein^ in want of a 
hi>uie, these scions of the " bald eagle" are down upon 
hiui at once, and unless he shows symptoms of a 
dis{K>sition to lie able to mind iiiitisilf, and to "{Mutdle 
his own canoe." it is with diUit ulty he can shake 
them ofl". IJut sometimes you will allow yourself to 
be sulxlueil by their excessive elo<[Ueucu, and then 
it is clearly their duty " to t^ike you iu." I thouj^ht 
if this is the s4jrtof thing it is the fate of ull travellers 
to undergo, I can't lie any worse than tin- nst, and 
with this restilve I got intii one of the 'buses, when 
in a brief siNice I wils landed at tlic cutrauce of 
Willard's Hotel, where I was {Mlitely oskod to en- 
groNs my name and title in the n'gister, then shown 
t«i my aiiartment. ami for the rir-.t time I have a 
chance of seeing the magtiitutle and <ii>«Titii)nM of an 
AiiKTicaii hiiti'l Tlii.-' Miu' i.n the liiUMt in tli<- «itv. 



52 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

and is the abode of a number of the Senators and 
Eepresentatwes in the season when Congress sits. 
But everybody who can get out of the city at this 
time is out, it being the Congressional recess, and the 
place has a quiet aspect in every quarter. In this 
hotel there is accommodation for a very great number 
of persons, and if ever the house is full it must be a 
very animated sight, especially at meal times, for the 
practice or custom, in American hotels, is to dine at 
the hotel, if not, you are charged as if you did so ; 
but that practice is beginning not to be relished, even 
by Americans, and hotels are to be found conducted 
on the European principle of charging only for what 
you get, and you are thereby not necessitated to 
attend meals in the hotel you may chance to be 
staying at. The most distinctive features in the 
hotels liere are the great facilities afforded to both 
commercial men and tourists. On the ground floor 
of all the hotels you have telegraph and post offices, 
newspaper, tobacco and cigar shops, barber's shop, 
bar room, baggage room, left luggage office, smoking 
room, lounges, and other necessary conveniences. 
The baggage, when you leave, has a small brass plate 
with the name of the place to which you are going 
attached to it, and you put the counterpart in your 
pocket; the luggage follows you as by instinct, 
and when you arrive at your destination your baggage 
is waiting for you. You don't need to pass a thought 



TIIK FKUKKAL CITY. 'ui 

about it, aiid it i& u run; thin^ thin^; that thiri i> 
any misaiiventuiv. I dun't knuw tliat theix* io any 
other luarketl diflferfuct' Lietweeii the ltoteli« luid our 
own at huiue. Their extent, and the tact thul niuny 
make them tlicir home, give tiiem u ilitlurent a^tpect 
and chtinicter from what they have with u&. 

If one were to jud^e of the im]H>rtuni-e of Wash- 
ington from the condition of the public thoroughfares, 
he would not be very favourably impre^ised ; but the 
Executive an* Ijeginniug to be tuilnuueil of thi^i stato 
of matters, for pn'tty geneniUy the stnseta jux* under- 
going' a thorough n'liovatiou, antl pmprietoi-s ore 
groaning under the pre^ssure of taxation im{)oseil to 
meet the exjxjuse. Occu|Nint« do not feel, or rather 
do not 8ee it, iw propriet<tn4 an* n\s|Kjnsible for all the 
taxejt, and their collection is much nion? r^usiiy ucc«im- 
plisheil than with us, for the pnjprietor Is virtually 
the tax-gatherer. Waahington i^i somewhat exceptional 
reganling its streeta and avenues, for some of Ui« 
Americran cities, considering the ground U» l>e »o 
plentiful, have streets that are genuine copies «if 
8ome in the oKl country. Hut Wa.^hington .stn'ets 
and avenues are very siiacious ; the avenues ntdialv 
from chief and central buildings like the Capitt>l. for 
instance, and the stn'et.s run from th«*H<' sonietintos 
at right an^jhrs and fwjmetinifs diagouaily. The 
avenues an* a little after the UndevanU at Paris, and 
they extA'ud for mdes in every diructiou. It is wm- 



54 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

templated to make this city, at some time, the glory 
of perfection, the joy of the whole land. But now 
and again some of the refractory States' Legislatures 
interpose and question the propriety of doing so, as 
they consider the capital ought to be near or about 
the centre of the empire, and advocate its removal to 
Chicago, St. Louis, or some more western point still ; 
for there is a difficulty in fixing a central situation in 
such a progressive and extensive country. 

There are some of these avenues 160 feet in breadth, 
and a few of the streets near the Capitol the same. 
North, South, and East Capitol Streets are the same 
breadth as the avenues. The avenues are named 
generally after the States of the Union — the streets 
by letters and numbers combined, and their regular 
and open position causes the city to look admirably 
from any height. The dome of the Capitol is the 
best suited for this, and it is an object of intense 
interest, on account of being the meeting place of the 
Legislative Body of the Union, of marked historical 
associations, grandeur, and architectural merit. The 
Capitol stands on a rising ground some 90 feet 
above the level of the Potomac River, and the height 
of the dome from the base of the pile is 280 feet, 
making the elevation 370 feet in all. The original 
building — the corner stone of which was laid on the 
18th September, 1793, by President AVashington, aided 
by the Freemasons of Maryland — is composed of free- 



TUB FEUEIUL CITY. 

stone, and |jaintetl white to tiilly with the porlicoea. 
which are white marhle ; the north and »<»utli 
were finisheil in 1800. the date on whirh th 
Conj^ss was lield in Philadelphiiu But in 1S14 
the whole of the interior was destroyed hy a Hritish 
military and naval force, and after that date the 
extension of the entire Capitol was commence*! ; but 
the mast iMi|K>rtant extensions took place during the 
last twenty-two years, and tlie material use*! during 
this time was white marble. The entire pile, which 
is 751 feet in length, has a very imfmsing and 
majestic loi)k, with its deep i>ortic<H»s and endless 
colonnades of miussive jiillars, rising tier ujMin tier, 
and its allegorical and historical groups of figures at 
the jKirticocs and on the ixnlinjenta And parajtets. 
The original dome of the building was comiwse*! of 
wootl, but when the latest extensions were done it 
was found to Iw too flat and tame, and was rvmovetl 
and a dome of iron work substituted, which is a 
mar\el of art, and alx)ut 400 tons in weight On the 
top of this dome is a figure of " Frcethim," comjMwed 
of bnmze. and weighs nearly seven tons. In the 
insi(h> (»f the d«»me. and nnuul the circle of its hi.!***. 
an.' a succession of alli'i^orical pictun's. V»y thr ' 
Itnimidi, in altn rJurn. As one wmdd n-i' 
expect, the chief figure in this work of art in tlie 
saviour of thi? land. .sum»und«'d by Liln^rty, Victory, 
and Fame lnuu|K;tiu;4 l«i^ ^il'^y, and brin^in;,' tlie 



56 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

\^-reath for his brow. Before this group are thirteen 
female figures, representing the original States of the 
Union ; on the brow of each is a star, and a banner is 
interwoven, on it being inscribed the motto of the 
Constitution, "E Fluribus Unum." There are certain 
floral or cereal symbols, denoting the States they 
severally represent, and they are geograhically 
arranged, beginning in north-east with cold, clear 
tints, and finishing with the warm mellow tints of 
the south. The central figure of the next group is 
War, Freedom on one side with uplifted sword 
striking down tyranny, and kingcraft, and priestcraft 
— a soldier is trying vainly to hold up the ermine 
robe ; discord, anger, and revenge are in the group. 
The next graup is Agriculture. Ceres is enthroned 
in the centre with her cornucopia. Young America 
is on one side, with his cap of liberty (Le Bonnet 
rouge dc France), and he is attaching a pair of 
sprightly horses to an American reaping machine. 
Flora and Pomona are in waiting with fruits and 
flowers. Next comes Tubal Cain or Vulcan, repre- 
sentative deity of mechanics. He stands with his 
foot on a cannon, and all around are the material 
forces of death and destruction, the agencies of 
human devilry, the tools of ambitious tyrants. The 
next is Commerce, and Mercur}^ presides over the 
various mercantile interests. In his hand is a bag of 
gold, and urging, I presume, the immediate resumption 



THK KKDKRAL l IT\ . 

of Specie traiifiuctious U> u grvat Auierii»n finoiirier 
who is represonteil. Two siailnr> nrv m ' n.I 

point to the protecting gunl)oat.H in : i <• 

Neptune in the next in this iuytholi>gicaI array. A:^ 
the deity symbolising and presiding over the maritiiui' 
intervsits of the empire, he has his trident, his caj-, 
and liis chariot«fei>, ^iubliuiely ri>ing fn»in the deep, 
accompanied by the Wantil'ul AplinHlile, Venus, and 
cherubs with outspread wings — and the whole band 
are busy laying the Atlantic cable. Laat scene of all ; 
Minerva is seen in the full-Hedged glory of her 
intellectual |x»weras she springs from the brain of the 
great Jupiter, and an array of attentive and bnlliant 
children of the Union art; sitting at her feet ami 
receiving her wis<; counsels. These are r>en Franklin 
the philosopher, lioliert Fulton the engiiKHir, and 
Morse, of telegrupliic eminence. 

There is nothing of .'♦petial interest to Ijo noted in 
the liolunda until we descend to the l»«»tt4)m of it. 
and there wu tiee eight lar)^ cortotms {Miintcnl on cloth, 
and let into rec«»mj« in tlie sides, and fonning largu 
panels, whirh run round the whole of the Kotunda, 
about twelve fetit Up or so. On them are .m-cu vartous 
incidents ot interest in tlie history of the St4ite» and 
connected with them. There is the " Discover)* of 
the Mississippi" by Do SoUt in 1541. and " Tho 
llaptiAUi of rocohontas." "The I' m of In- 

de|iendence." " The Surrender ol . " Sur- 



58 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

render of Lord Cornwallis," " The Resignation of 
AVasliington/' " The Embarkation of the Pilgrims,'' 
and " The Landing of Columbus." The pictures are 
fair examples of high class art, and any one visiting 
the Capitol is sure to see them, as they are in the 
Rotunda or chief vestibule entrance. In the lobbies 
of the Senate Chamber and Hall of Representatives 
are statues of Washington and other eminent American 
senators and representatives. The door at the 
entrance of main portico is composed of bronze, and 
was made in Munich. It must be several tons, and 
is a work of rare merit. There are eight or ten 
panels, and every panel has a subject connected with 
the early history of the land, such as the incidents of 
Columbus's life connected with his enterprises of 
discovery; some of the crowned heads who figured in 
relation to it ; and the same in reference to Cabot. 
The whole surface of it is bristling with subjects and 
objects of interest and beauty. By the same artist 
that painted the frescoes on the canopy of the 
Rotunda, there is a fresco in the staircase leading to 
the Hall of Representatives, styled "Western Emigra- 
tion," the finest picture in the Capitol. There are 
also pictures in the other staircases, such as " The 
Battle of Lake Erie " between the British and Ameri- 
cans, and there are pictures of battles between the 
States and Mexico. These are incentives in the way 
of stirring up tlie martial spirit in " Young America," 



TIIK FKDKRAL cm'. 59 

anil likely to make him take a pride aiid interest in 
such actions. 

It is scarcely |)ossiblo to notice all that is t)f wortli, 
merit, or lieauty. In this preat pile there are stair- 
cases and lohhit's of Wautiful white and vari(*f:ate<l 
marbles, lonj^ colniina«les and oorri<l«irs of the wime 
materials, and articles of value with rich carvinl and 
sculpture work. Tlie rooms of the hij;her lepslative 
functionaries are richly furnished and divorate*! with 
representative eniMems of the departments — there 
are bust.s. yiortraits, and statues of leading men, 
profusely oddinl to the funiitun' of the dejMirtment 
Tlie lUireau of tlie Aj^icultural DeiMirtment wjus at 
one time in the Capitol, but is remove<l to a building 
U80<1 for that purpose alone; in the aimrtment where 
they use«l to meet are variotis fresc«K's t<'llin^ the 
part which Americans have playcnl in ndntion to that 
art. Horal decorations are profus*'. and a pictorial 
{Nirallel in the lives of Washinj;ton and Cincinnatua 
of iN'in;; calh-d from the plnu^di to the swonl. Thia 
rcKim is a complrte l»ouc|uet «»f lloral art. frnj^TTint to 
the most sensitive nerve, and is the work of the 
American-Italian Dnimidi. Tlie either nKnna, esjie- 
cially those on the principal storey of the north 
winy summii ' ' • r" • • ntifully 

finifluHJ in < . ' Tlie 

Senate ChamU'r is llli Itet 'h, 

nnd :50 f.. f l.iL'l. Til.- -all. : ut 



60 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

1,000 persons. The seats for the Senators are all 
arranged round the chair of the President in a semi- 
circle in three rows, and there are seventy in all. 
There is provision for 27 reporters of newspapers in 
the House, but somewhere about 46 manage to re- 
present themselves here, of which some six or eight 
are local, the others being from other States. The 
Hall of Representatives is 130 feet long, 93 feet in 
breadth, and 30 feet high, and is arranged in the 
same manner as the Senate Hall, but the circle is 
twice the depth of that in the other House, for the 
number of representatives is 240. The galleries are 
not so deep in this hall, but are longer, and possibly 
seat as many as the gallery of the Senate. There 
is provision for 47 reporters in this gallery, but an 
addition of 15 manage to get in. There is a library 
in the back part of the centre building, but it is not 
of any extent. It was burned at the attack by the 
British in 1814, and suffered an accidental fire in 
1861. The crypt of the Capitol is worthy of notice. 
The basement storey in the centre, under the Eotunda, 
is supported by quite an array of pillars, giving evi- 
dence of the great strength of the structure overhead. 
To contemplate this magnificent and imposing mass 
of architectural beauty, robed in the silvery and 
luminous radiance of a moonlight night, from the 
Capitol grounds, when parapet, pediment, capital, 
architrave, cornice, column, and base are basking in a 



THr. I r CM. \i. i ii i. ••! 

!*cene of rare and glnj8t-like jjlory, while tho tloopt'H- 
ing shadows on tlie archej*. porticos, and silent colon- 
nades wr:»p it in a soU-inn suhlimit y of ^'mndtMir arid 
re|>ose. while the distant city, with all its surnxindin^B 
of niaj^nificence, 8er\*es for a l»ack;^'r<»und of quiet, 
receding grey, and the I'otonmc ripples antl sparkles 
like a sea of glass under the pale orb of night, and 
the distant hills of Virginia are mantle*! in l»n»ken 
shadows fri»n» the fleecy clouds which float slowly 
over them, and the gigantic <lome »t»ems to lift itself 
into the .skies, and " Frewlom," like a wary and 
sleepless sentinel, poised on his thousand emhlems 
ofstn»ngth and s<>curity. looks over the land with a 
k«H'n and watchful ••ye, guanling his institution and 
his fame, is to .see a sight which will fix itself in the 
mind and remain wliili- iii.iii..rv lias a ..at in tli,. 
temple of the soul 

One could sjxmuI a ion^ imik- hiikimj: tIi.- iiinn.r-' "t 
interest in and al>out this stujiendous mansion, hut 
1 will only take a glnnre at a statue in the Capitol 
grounds. Tlie first l«wk you take at it from a short 
distance you take it for Julius Ca!«ar. Iwit on nearing 
it you discover it is intended for a statue of (teneral 
Washington, executi'd by the artist of " (;n'*-k Slave " 
notoriety The whoh- .-ontinir of the figtire is Itoman. 
The altitu«lean«l difiMwition of the drape r>' on* Homan. 
The swonl and general acct-ssoritw an- Itoman, and the 
attitude almost that when Mettellus CimWr pulls the 



62 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

imperial purple from the shoulder of Julius Ctesar, 
and the sword of Brutus is sheathed in his heart. A 
queer conceit, and one wonders how the people of this 
great Eepublic should allow the sculptor to murder 
the great Washington in the Capitol grounds, so that 
his individuality is lost and his friends do not know 
him. The grounds around the Capitol are in a miser- 
able condition, but as the Capitol itself is not finished, 
that may be a reason why they are so. The site is a 
most suitable and magnificent one, and in a few years, 
if the present temper of the Executive is kept alive, 
there is every reason to believe that the grounds and 
amenities will be worthy of the centre they encircle, 
for now they are widening the grounds and levelling 
up where it is necessary, and in other parts doing the 
opposite, so as to secure a wide and extensive plateau, 
that, when replete with the surroundings and adorn- 
ments which are in contemplation, this great and chief 
object of admiration, and centre of attraction in the 
" Federal City," will then be recognised as worthy the 
man, the warrior, and the statesman for whom it was 
called Washington. 

Leaving the Capitol, the next object of interest in 
point of importance is the building of the Treasury 
Department, and we notice it is on the two public 
sides draped in black for one of the officials in this 
department who died lately. The black cloth is hung 
from pillar to pillar, in graceful folds, with ends inter- 



TIIK F»iWf.»A.. V .... 63 

veninp. I diiresiiy it is verj- well understoixl the kiiiii 
of work which is carried oil in this de|iurtiueiit of the 
Clovenuiieut service. Then- utv u ^'reat iiuinU'r of 
young hulies eii^'u^eil in varimLs brunches ailniut the 
ofiice. The huihiing is u very tine une, and uf very 
considerable interest in an architectund jMiint. It is 
of marble and granite, and the grounds are t^istefully 
laid otf. It is contiguous to the White Houm? or the 
Executive Mansion; ami this is of great inten?st.lK*ing 
the otlicial re,sidence of the I'residcnt (»f the Tnion. 
All strangers call on him ; and, following the stereo- 
typed routine of civility. 1 did so also. I thought as 
he wnn a good Celt he might have a pleasure and 
gratification in nu'eting a brother Celt ; but, confound 
it, he was out i>f the way, and 1 had to put up with 
the disapiMuntnieiit ; but 1 wa.s IamiI upon seeing what 
kind of house the nation provides for their Chief 
Magistrate, and in this mocKl ! went in by one of the 
wimlowM, for the rresiiientiul mansion, 1 found, was 
in the hanil.> of tnulesmeii. ami certain diconitions 
were going on in the sipian* {larlour to the left, and 
it was Hlled to the roof with the necessary sctUlolding 
for such renovatioiw. This rtwm antl the corres{jond- 
ing one on tin; other side are about 30 feet by 22 feet. 
n»e hall, or, as we wouhl call it, th- -'iit 

oO by 40. There is a lar^'e nnjui > iit- 

ing nxiiii, aljdut SO feet by 40, and a lajp! dining 
room. The other aimrtmcnts alwut the hous** arv ver)' 



64 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

much what are to be found in any similar house ; but 
up-stairs the President has the official bureau and the 
vice and assistant secretaries. The outside of the 
mansion is all white, and hence its name, I presume ; 
and the feeling generally is abroad that it is marble. 
However, that is not the case, and any one seeing it 
must consider it is not at all like what the Presidential 
mansion ought to be ; but the Americans have their 
own ideas on this point, and so far as we have been 
able to translate them, they do not accord with the 
breadth and bulk of their sentiments on other matters. 
Previous to the year that the seat of Government was 
removed to Washington, the Chief Magistrate of the 
States had no official house. They may have been 
poor at the time of starting life in the line of self- 
government, and their aspirations were modified com- 
mensurably with their pretensions, which any person 
of experience must see was wisely designed. I have 
no doubt \vhen John Adams went into it in 1800 
he would consider it a very magnificent and courtly 
palace ; and I doubt not the goodwife would be some- 
what perplexed in regard to how she was to govern 
her domestics and manage the imposing array of duties 
which would naturally fall to her lot to perform. 

The exterior of the mansion and its surroundings 
of arborial and floral garniture, and the extent of the 
grounds, are of a medium quality, and exact no ex- 
pression of an adulatory kind ; but perhaps these may 



TIIK FKDEICAL CITY. 

share the atteutiuu tif the gcutlemnn who Inns these 
matters entru8te<l to his care, ami I ilouht not now 
that the uei«^hbourliuo(.l is beiii^' udonuil with the 
beautiful antl luassive group of nuisonry devoted t« 
the dejiartmenUs of State, that a genenil lulji. 
of the:>e in<.'<piulities will Ik; the result, riie - 
are certainly far loo liniiteti for the Satunla\ 
noon al frtMu concerts ; but what they wjuit in .;- ., . 
tude they liave in adaptation, for tlie miniature hilb) 
here and there are serviceable during the jn-rforniance^ 
of the l»and, and I lielieve the grounds will U* 
additionally crowdetl when the rre.-iiilintial n. 
is occupietl. for 1 supjjose in thi^ particul 
{jeople of Washington are the same as the people at 
home here, more ilisjxwed to turn out when such is 
the caije. This jwrt of the city will U* a thriving 
locality when the extensive granite Ini;! 
by are finishetl, and the anuy, navy ami • . ' 

ment^i take poasesision with their crowds of ofliciaU. 

The next building '\& the I'atent OHice. Thij» is 
tlic institution where one can form a capital idea of 
the bone, sinew, muscle ami bruin of the \ 
among whom he is sojourning. There ar< 
things here which do not daim relation to Uie 

institution, but arc heirlooms of the n •■ 

curifwities, and would Im more a|»|ir<', 
muM-uni, unless it i.H tin- 
lie a |it)rtion of the l»uddii. 



66 " THE STATES AND CANADA. 

indicated by their presence. There are models of 
works of art, buildings, and in one case are relics of 
the man who holds the first place in the affections of 
the nation, and relics and mementos of him are seen 
everywhere; however, those which are conserved here 
are his military tra,ppings, and the utensils of his tent 
or camp, but the greatest wonders are his armorial 
bearings. These are relics of an old country, old 
relations, and things forgotten in the dim and distant 
past; but there they are, and show the chain of 
evidence of his being a scion of an old and powerful 
family, even of the race of kingmakers, the Earls of 
Warwick. But he should have no lineage, for the 
Americans would claim for him the likeness of 
Melchisedec of old, and of being virtually the first 
man. They won't allow even Adam's claim, for they 
say, "Well, if you talk of foreigners, that may be ; 
but I guess George Washington was the first man 
who was not a foreigner." T think it is very evident, 
from looking at these same armorial bearings, which 
are in this case among the relics of Washington, that 
the stars and stripes are taken from them, for it is 
noticeable that the nucleus of the flag is traceable in 
it, in the fact that stars are there, and the bars by 
being elongated would produce a very near approach 
to the American flag. That may or may not be its 
origin, but it looks to me to be something like it. If 
it is so, the flag has been imported from tlie Old 



THE FEDRKAL CITli'. 07 

Country. ;iim its rwonatniction only the work of tli^ 
New. 

Tho building: i.s ven* canacious and tOi'jjjint. :r 
looking nrouml one can fonn a tolerably a' i 
estimate of the intense acti%'ity of the inventh'e brain 
of the coiintT}'. It is not possible to detail t-- n - 
extent the numUT or the cbanutor of tho \ 
inventions which have K'cn sent in by aji] 1 
for |)atents. Their name is legion. Perhaj- 
liest way will l»e to submit the details of the rejwrt 
for the lost year. Tl>e Commissioner of Patents 
reports to the Secretar>' of the Interior, in whose 
de|>artnient this falls to lie noti«-«Hl, tlmt then* were 
29.3r»4 applicfttions filed nt the Patent Oftiee. 288 
applicati<ms for extension of |Mitenta, and '>!'.> appli- 
cations for repstration of trade marks; nearly 13.000 
jmtents. includinj; re-issues and designs, were issued, 
and 23') extended, ami 'M'i5 all«»w«Ml, but not i.-.-ti' •' 
by reason rif non-i>ayment of final fees; 3,274 (a\- i* 
were filed, and 475 trade marks refjistered. The ft»es 
rt»ceived during the sjime |>eriod from all wMirfe«« 
amounttnl to 70.1t;2,r>72 doU , ancl the total ex|»endi- 
ture to r»9.944.9r.9 dols., making' the receipts 2,177 
dols. in excess of the exi>entlitnro. The fJovernment 
appropriate various amounts for the encoura^'emenf 
of the inventions, and drawings and details an- 
l>ublished and printc<I at the fJovenimont Printinj* 
Offlee. and by these means the inventive genius of 



68 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

the people is induced and fostered. Althongli it is 
implied, it may be as well for me to state, that in 
this office there are models of all the inventions kept 
which have been allowed or accepted by the exami- 
ners ; and there is quite a collection, as may be 
assumed from the number which has passed during 
the year just ended. The space is great, but it is 
found it will be necessary to increase it at an early 
date. The building, as it stands at present, has 
evidently been built at different periods, and is a 
massive pile of masonry. 

The next building in the Government connection 
is the Agricultural Department. This was in the 
Capitol formerly, but now there is a fanciful and 
appropriate building devoted to this business of the 
Executive. The various officials have offices in the 
main and upper storeys, and there is a museum in the 
centre of the upper storey, and Professor Townend 
Glover very courteously explained the. object that 
was contemplated by the classification which he was 
carrying out, which seemed to be based on cpiite an 
enlightened and scientific principle. Any one of the 
agricultural products specified by us, the Professor 
showed us where it M^as a native of, and what parts 
of the country were best suited for its propagation, 
and the kind of insects which were most destructive 
to that product. There were all the products of the 
various States connected with this art. In one office 



THE K»:i.i... w .... i;i» 

they werw claHsifyiiig gras-ses. Jind in aiiotlier they 
were doing so with shrubs and trees, and down in 
the sunk storey nuniV»ers were <»usy imttinj; «r>iin 
in small baj^s to lie sent for i-<)iii]tiiriH<in witli jjniin in 
different places; otlu-rs wrre hnsy with the rf|K)rts 
from the varitius .States, romj>ilinj^ these in one. so as 
t*i 1k> easily consulted by those to whom they are 
sent. The jx)sition of this biiildin;^' is a pleasant one, 
<»n an opening and rising ground ; and in a few years, 
when the grtiunds and nurseries are eoiuidete<l and 
furnished with the rare and costly plants and flowers, 
it will be e<|ual to the other sights in this fine city. 

At a very wirly date in the history of the I'nion 
it was thought desirable that some gigantic monunu'Ut 
to Washington should Im? mi-seil in somt* part of the 
country, and after a great ileal «»f disi-ussion it wits 
<lecidinl to erect it at Washington, and this monument, 
which has now Ijeen a great many years in progresH. 
is at a stand-still, after l»eing niise«l aWuit !'»(» feet or 
so. It is, or was, intended to mist' it to n 
and to have a stiiir and suitable lan<i p 

through the wlude height, and on tin* sides of the 
stairs to have sculpture works of various kinds, 
contributions from the various States, and disiMtseil 
so that they might )h> deiiphcanl thoroughly while 
making the asi-cnt to the top of the column ; but. for 
vrant of |)atriotism or money, the gniit natioiuil work 
is quite in the "death throes.** n»v! •i- ........••>— 



70 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

obelisk at present looks at a distance like an immense 
sugarhouse ctiininey whitewashed, but when you near 
it you discover' it to be composed of white marble, 
and you feel that ultimately, something very grand 
will emanate from what is at present conspicuously 
crude and unseemly. I presume that the Govern- 
ment must have charge of what is chargeable in 
relation to its condition, and if it is in the hands of 
Government officials it is not to be wondered that 
it is subject to intervals of stagnation, for in America 
a change of Government is at times the cause of 
disastrous and evil consequences, as it affects all the 
various ramifications of the Executive down to the 
public scavenger. But it is pleasing to notice in 
connection with this matter that the people are not 
behind, for there are stored close by a great number 
of donations for this paralysed public work — gifts 
\\'hich represent all the prosperous provident and 
beneficent institutions in the country, sucli as Free- 
masons, Oddfellows, Foresters, Firemen, and many 
kindred societies — these are chiefly in the form of 
large blocks of marble, and on them are the emblems 
of the craft, and mottoes, or the order represented, 
some of them beautifully cut, and must have been 
forwarded there at great expense, and it nmst be very 
annoying to the donors to have them shut up and 
wasting their beauty in the desert air. 

Not far from this is another buildinu' called the 



SmithMiniiui luiitiiutv. u huildiii^ wliich the duuor. 
H Mr Smithsoii, iiiteiideil to be devutod to Hcieiitiflc 
aud literurv j- ' ' :> 

site, a jmr: t»l il 

by a atniil. \v \* lien* 

the I'uloiuac ' . "Ui the 

mainland, bui it m now tilled up. and with great 
benetit to ilie city This i-nteriirLse. like Mu- lost, lh 
still uiiliujslu'd. and. I i>resu!ii«*, i.s a dfciili-d ami tnie 
mifirfprcsuutation of thi? Mill of the fomuler. The 
house Is there, aud there i» ample space in the house 
fur a large a^iiembly to listen to a lecture. Tliere i» 
a museum nominally, but 1 think it is <i 'i>-e 

tu the donor U» sny that it could not be h: >n 

of what a mi; ' to l>e, for when wu liK>k at 
the external : ne of the building* one is 
sadly disApiiuinted with the vapid, tame, ami eleuien- 
tur}' UH)k and character of tlic collection in.side. The 
j^TOundn are »(uile in keeping with the chnnu:ti«r of 
tl)C in.stiluliou. but the want of liein-. i-d 

with pro]>er lencing tletmetx also from (•!' . ito 

of the gilt of the donor. I am not sure, but t think 
there ia no librar)- in this institute. I aaw none, and 
it Hel•m^ a strange and incon^ruouM matter that no 
library nliould Ik? then", when the iln- iii 

relation to it.i eMtaMi-shnienl were of a nd 

Mcientitic kind. There i* a goodly Uxly oi nih. jal» 
nsMJcmteil in the management of ••••- !. -....n. 



72 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

beaded by tbe President of tbe Union, and we in 
cbarity suppose tbat it is well managed at least. But 
one cannot belp tbinking bow mucb wiser, bow much 
more beneficent, would it bave been on tbe part of 
tbe donor to bave set agoing and completed sucb a 
liberal work during bis lifetime, ratber tban bave it 
fall sbort, and be blurred and curtailed by tbe acts of 
trustees or regents, wbo at times look more to tbeir 
own emoluments tban tbe object for wbicb it was 
founded, or tbe postbumous fame of tbe donor. 

Tbe Navy Yard is reckoned a point of interest, 
and is situated at a distance soutb of tbe city. Tbis 
brancb of industry connected witb tbe Executive of 
tbe States is not confined altogether to tbe Capital. 
Pbiladelpbia and New York share in tbis enterprise, 
and tliese places are better adapted for it tban tbe 
shores of the Potomac. There is, or was, a quiet and 
unenterprising look about the whole works. There 
was not a craft of any size or pretentions in or near 
the docks or slips, save one steamer, which, T think, 
was engaged in some of tbe minor or subordinate 
services, such as the transporting of heavy materials. 
There M^ere lots of cannons, mortars, shells, and other 
kinds of engines tbat are used for purposes of war ; 
and while I was determined to discover if there really 
was sometliing worthy of being seen, the fire bells 
were rung in such a manner tbat they might be 
heard as far as Chesapeake Bay, and in an instant 



.i... . i.l»KltAL « ITY. 7;» 

about five or six liundreil men, with all the newest 
R]>pliances for fire oxtinguishinvr, iuhI with steam- 
engine fliuuin*;. ami any nunjl»er of liatohetji, lathlers, 
buckets, coils, ami oflicers, fifers, tlnnmuer. antl bugler, 
msheti like an anny of liH-usts to a particular sjwt, 
and began to fire away on the large wocnlen shed 
which confined the buihling-yanl, and which was 
about eighty feet high, and the steam-engine sent the 
water over the shed ea-sily. Then, after they had 
thoroughly soakeil the while for a short time, the 
bugler sounded the " retreat," or " cease firing," and 
the steam business was at an end. These fin* drill- 
take place ever)' now and again, and qualify the 
workmen to o|)emte on tires with gn'ut rapidity. I 
think almut seven minutes S4'rN*e<l to jmt the engine 
at full steam, and at tinic> if l««..ki<I a- if it \v..uld 
leap off the ground. 

There are .some very tim- «iMii' n.-s m tm-. . ity, and 
the chtirch-gninj,' Ann-ricans devote mmh can-, time, 
and nu»ney to th^m. I accomj»ani<«<l a gcnlK-nuui to 
the church where Mr V S Cvaui fin I'r. >i.l. i.t sitn. 
expecting to see hini tl >• 

the time, I calhnl at tin- i.v iiti\. .Man ;.'ii lut I 
was drHuned to 4lisjip|inintmcnt for a wK*ond time, 
but then* wen" gn*ater lo.^m-.s at " Ihniker'.H Hill." and 
I thought no mon* alumt it. Tin* manner of con- 
ducting services was the same as in the ]{ev. Mr 



74 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

Beeclier's; a subordinate did the subordinate or 
minor duties, and the person who preached did that 
duty only. It was not the pastor of the church, for 
he was in Europe at the time, and a notice was 
read that he had sailed from Britain homewards, 
and might be expected on the followino- Sunday, 
Nearly all the clergymen in the well-to-do churches 
in the cities were on the Continent of Europe this 
year, and on the other side I saw^ many who were 
doing the States from Europe. 

The population of Washington is about double that 
of Greenock. There are some sixty-two churches, 
which is double that of this town. There are no 
manufactures of any kind carried on, and the Navy 
Yard is the only public ^\'ork in the place. The 
better class of dwelling-houses are built with brick 
and stone, but there are many, very many, of the 
houses built with wood, and these houses change 
their sites easily, when any occasion demands such 
a change; and they very often lift a brick house and 
build a storey below, and thus pursue the opposite 
tack to that of builders in this country. I saw a 
public market at Georgetown which was lifted up 
in this way, and there was not a crack in the -plaster- 
work in the inside when it was completed. The 
building would be fifty or sixty feet long, and twenty- 
five or so broad. There is a large proportion of the 



THK FKHEUAL CITY. 75 

populution black, Imt I will ivrer to this new eleiuent 
of ^Vjuericuu citi/i'iiHliip njj[nin when I hce a little 
uiori' of it, anil in thr meantime I will take the caw 
in the tlireclion of the old capitnl and lUiltimure, and 
take farewell of the " Fetleral City." 



CHAPTER VII. 



r.ALTIMOEE. 

After a run of two hours or so we arrived at 
Baltimore. It was near midnight, and the place, so 
far as one could see, for there was only enough of 
light in the streets to make darkness visible, was 
not possessed of features strikingly charming; and 
the contrast between this place and Washington was 
enhanced by the great disparity in the width of the 
streets, which could be easily noticed even in the 
dark ; and after coursing along a number of them, I 
was set down at the end of a street, which was the 
nearest point to my hotel — " The Fountain," I think 
it was called — and after crossing two blocks I was at 
the end of my journey for the day. As it was even 
too late for making en(i[uiries regarding the succeeding 
day's operations, I consigned myself, a solitary 
fraction, to the great company who were "a' noddin'" 
in the quarters around. There was a considerable 
difference in the quality of my dormitory from the 
last, but one of my friends who directed my steps to 
this place was responsible for that, and as my pro- 
gramme would not allow me to tabernacle for any 
length of time here, it did not matter much. So 



IIALTIMORK. 4 I 

having' oxtinj^tiislieil tlu- " light of other ilays," which 
vras carrietl from tlie down stairs portion of the hotel, 
I wn»|»t niysolf in the .suiunier coviTin«<s ol my couch 
uml waitoil for the niitrning. I hud got into a room 
in the back )>art of tlu* Iiotel, luul when morning 
dawned I wa.s regided with a succession of " wikmI 
notes wild." There must have been a flock <»f all 
kinds of birds and beasts, and if I had been within a 
reasonable distance of " chanticleer" I wouUl hav** 
changeil his tunc anti destroyed the discontant 
medley which was being discoursetl in the Iwick yanl 
to my disgust and annoyance. So I tliought the 
liest thing I could do was to walk abroad ami sec the 
strange suntmndings and beauties, if such wen? in 
the place I would l>e obliged to spend one d;t 
least. 

When I began my work of inspection, I found my 
hotel w;is located ill what I thought the olilest, and 
judged the most crowtled |>art of the city. an«l I wn^i 
anxious to .seek for some more o|M'n :;i 

locality. So I started olf, but in my pn- i il 

matters Ixigan to assume a worse aspect, for 1 di»- 
covered my route was in the direction of the harlxHir 
and the further I pHKietHh^l in thi."* course the len*. 
likelihoutl WJI.H tlii-n' of my tiuccess ; so I - ' 
my course ah>ng a stn'et wl.ich had a wmsi 
incline, m I was anxious to gain some clevat4<<i |MiNi- 
tion where I could see at a glance the conligunitiun 



78 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

of the land, and tlie extent to which it was peopled ; 
and learning that there was close by a raonnment of 
Washington, I sought it out and at once began my 
perilous ascent. I have been on many such heights, 
but the task of scaling this monument has cured me 
of trying any like enterprise again, for in the staircase, 
from top to bottom, there is not a single opening for 
the admission of air or light, and one has to cheer his 
path with the solitary rays of an oil lamp, and the 
resident odours left by former excelsiors, engaged on 
the same mission, were calculated to stifle all one's 
aspirations to get up in that part of the world. But 
when once up — the object once attained, and attained 
by labour at times threatening to exhaust your 
energies — you feel that the enjoyment is enhanced in 
proportion. From this point the whole country lies 
open to the circuit of your gaze : the sloping hills 
beginning to clothe themselves in the variegated tints 
of autumn ; the Paptapsco reflecting the broad glare 
of the morning sun, and dotted with its coasting 
fleet of steam and sailing vessels, and the busy 
harbour, its chequered housetops, its spires, its 
minarets, and cathedral dome with gilded cross, its 
])ublic marts, hotels, and banking houses, densely 
packed in squares and solid blocks. The streets are 
all narrow and long, and the houses in the principal 
.streets very high, having the effect of making them 
look narrower than they really are. There are some fine 



BALTIMORE. 

shops and several magnificent hotels, hut the nam^w 
dirty streets detract from evcnr object that comes in 
contact or juxtajiosition with them. There is much 
bustle and coiuinercial activity in the hujiine.'ts part* 
of the city. The harb<iur9 are crowded, and i- 
tions e.xi.st everywhere of prosperit)' and imi 
But one cannot see the solidity about any of the 
docks or harl»ours which characteri.'*e such structures 
in our ]xirt3 nt home; they have jdenty <if j^ranite, 
but to jin^fiT piles of w(xxl to piles of 

ston- ^mU purp<ises, and they li.v- ,i v. rv 

.superficial and rlirty nppeamnce. 

The streets of lialtiraorc are a study of i:i. m- ■» -. 
It must be one of those cities, the earlier sftth-rs 
in whicli Imvc kept close to the tyjK' of the streets in 
in the Old W«irl«l, whert? ground is usually <l»'iir. for I 
don't aMiiembur seeing one sufficiently broml to run 
two lines of t mm way rails on ; and the city seems to 
be built on a succession of hills <»f no great dimen- 
sions, whi<h give it a |K?culiar look. In the luwer 
parts of tin- «ity the drains mu.st 1m' (juite iiin«li*qunlo 
for their functions at times, for the curlwtoiiPH are 
nearly a fo«»t high, and at .some places a row of step- 
ping-stones is laid across from <»ne side of the street 
to the other to enable one to paas when HimkIh tnke 
]KM}M>ssion of the •^trec'ts; or it may 1m« the nisr that 
they ha%'e not introduce«l the un<bTgroun<l coinnum 
.sewer, but just nllow the stnH-t- fluMic-'K-" »<• • i\rry 



80 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

off tlie drainage, and make them serve instead, and 
in that case they will have ample ventilation for 
these connnon sewers, and will be exempt from that 
perplexing question. 

Close by the Washington monument are some 
very fine buildings, and some of the wealthiest 
citizens live in this locality. Here, is a building 
resembling a city hall, a present to the citizens of 
Baltimore by Mr Peabody, and is worthy of the 
donor. There, is a splendid lecture-hall, elegantly 
fitted up, and commodious rostrum and retiring- 
rooms, and there is also a free library, containing 
50,000 volumes. It is, I believe, next in extent to 
the library in the Capitol, which they are pleased to 
call a public library, but it is not a free library, and 
numbers 180,000 volumes, and includes the library 
of the Supreme Court as well. 

The only sight which deserves commendation in 
Baltimore is the fine public park, which is called the 
" Druids' Park." It is out on the outskirts of the 
city, and the tramway cars run into the centre of it, 
but not by the principal entrance. Visitors going in 
by the side are apt to miss the sight of the main 
entrance. At it there is a fine gateway of stone, but 
not elaborately ornamented, rather a common-looking 
one, and when you pass through you get a glimpse of 
the extent and character of the grounds, which are 
seven hundred acres in extent, beautifully wooded, 



IIALTIMOUE. SI 

and furniiiheti with every requirement of u public 
park. Aloug the sides of the priiici{*al wiilkii ut 
entering are forty immense vasej*. nii.seil ■ ' ' N. 

iu all alxjut twelve feet hiyh, a^id the va 1 

with Indian cre,s,s tuid other kind^i of iretrpci», which 
fall down over the |>ede»tal, and 8loi>e acrotw the 
banks of tlie side walka. At one time you are 
coursiu}^' along the banks of an extensive bike, witli 
small jjiirties of pleasure-seekers in iMiats, engiigetl in 
a hunt after the binis which are skimming the 
waters ; and at another you are threailing your way 
through a maze of tall trees, forming one continuoiu 
high arburial arch, under which you cik)1 and regale 
yourself to lit you for fresh iliscoveries by wootls and 
groves. Ami, anon, you enter a laliyrinth, with 
figures hedged in on all sides, with high and fragnuit 
walls, and under foot a tapu vert of rich and heavy 
fold, whose meshes arc vocal with swiinus of busy 
mdUitoria, which sjiiirkle in the sun as you treiul 
your way over their dwellings ; and then s<ime curi- 
ously-constructed Chinese temple is ptu-vsetl, rich in 
variety of bright colours, and grotestpie luul fanciful 
form, a temple of A|)oUo, around which thousands 
are wont on holidays to crowd, and let tlie swimjI 
sounds of music creep into their ears an«l bask in the 
fragmnce of the generous zephyrs, us they come 
loaded with the sweets from this lovely gartlen ol 
Nature, The widks tuke you by tpii-' •■ "■ ■• ^^ '"••^' 



82 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

you can while away the day in dreamy solitude ; or 
by the clusters of juveniles, showily clad in Oriental 
style, and busy at croquet or other pastimes ; or 
through the covered sylvan paths ornamented with 
rockery, rustic bridges and chairs ; or by the foun- 
tains with their shoals of shiny and tiny fishes, 
sparkling like fireflies in the trembling and crystal 
flakes from the jet cTcau above. After ascending to 
the balcony over the refreshment rooms, where a 
good view of the park, with its lakes, streams, water- 
falls, gardens, and temples is got, you take the car, 
which comes close up to this point, leaving by the 
side gates or entrances, where another car is found to 
take you to the city. And now the city, which was 
formerly an object of little attraction, has become an 
object you feel disposed to avoid after seeing the fairy 
garden of the " Druids' Park," so your thoughts are of 
having your baggage checked and taking the road for 
the ancient capital. With this outline of proceeding 
roughly sketched the hotel is reached, and our slen- 
der liabilities adjusted, we seek the cars, get once 
more upon the line, and feel some satisfaction of 
having seen, and more of having left, one of the 
dirtiest cities in the Union. 

As usual, we are taken along a succession of streets, 
preceded with the music of the great bell on the 
engine, and shortly we are steaming over bridges and 
swamps in the direction of Pennsylvania. We pass 



BAITIMORK 83 

AlxTtlwn, and hy-aml-bye we luilt, unci in an instant 
the car. which l»efore wa«< ahnost empty, is f\\\v<\ to 
suft'iH-ation with the sons and dau<,'hters of shives, 
and the little lif^ht wliich the scanty globe,s liefore 
afforded is totally alisorbed by this new importation. 
I hatl heard of these .sava^'es attacking white men 
partly for mere amusement, and if any such disjwsi- 
tion should W evinceil by this lot, the chances were 
all in favour of "black;" but we leanietl that these 
were "good niggers," and we were di.sposed to look 
on them in not such a " dark light." I say we 
leamtHl. and our infonnation was to the eflect that 
they were just retume<l fmm a cunp meeting, which 
I lielieve outhenids llennl in some of it« features. 
When some of the darkies get inspired their exclama- 
tions and declamations an* vivid and ver^* sparkling. 
Tliis one cotild Indieve. for their volubility was some- 
thing surjrtiHsing the conception of a |H«rson of medium 
calibre. Perhaps it wnuhl l»e too much to say that 
it was langtuige, without .saying it was language of a 
kind, of that kintl we sometimes call " jargon " — a 
sort of chattering with an clement of music in it. 
Much din and little eI.S4>, but the oft-n*p(Mit4'<l s«iunds 
of wimething like " tony." " caiMi," an<I '" dolfy." made 
us feci we were in the C(»mi>any of distinguishe«l 
individuals, and wc could not help thinking that in 
all likelihood we were in the pre^k-nw of Mark 
-Antony, Julius C;ij>«ir, and CuKtavus Adolphus. and 



84 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

we began to look round to see if the fair descendant 
of the Ptolemies was not among the crew ; but the 
light was insufficient to enable us to discover any 
element which could ally itself with the ijcrsonnel 
of that fair Egyptian, and we gave it up, and were 
beginning to look at their traits of character in con- 
nection with some of the aspects of natural philo- 
sophy submitted by Smillie, Lord Monboddo, and 
Darwin, when the train stopped, and as by that uni- 
formity of instinct which is an ingredient in the 
constitution of some of the creatures which herd 
together, they disappeared in a mass. This had the 
effect of disposing us more thoroughly for a course 
of contemplative thought, which is attended in its 
action with an indefinite number of " whys " and 
" hows." We thought that in the war of races the 
preservation of the negro race was a miracle, and yet 
it was not so. It certainly was so in a country 
where a bold, hardy, generous and warlike race like 
the aborigines of the land had disappeared before the 
progress of civilisation which accompanied the march 
of the white man into the interior of his former 
abode; and there we have the negro full in tlie enjoy- 
ment of civil and political freedom and privileges, 
while the other suffers extirpation and death. And 
if we ask how or why it is for a lifetime, we could 
but receive one answer, and that is, because he was a 
slave. And that answer involves a thousand facts. 



BALTIMOKK. 85 

The most pmnnnent one is, as a. nntion they are unfit 
to take can' of themselves. And when President 
Lincoln deliven^l his notable sjieech in the Senate, 
and when the nation acceptetl the responsibility of 
jjivinjj the nij^'cr his freetlom. they thouj,'ht not that 
they had nui^-h-hcwn to thenjs<>lves a pn»bli«n» on 
the facaile of the j,Teat fabric of their constitution 
which would task all their legislative wisdom and 
their administrative acumen and dexterity to finish 
the details and make them acceptable to the diverne 
elements which constitute their Hepuldic. Of course 
it would be too much to exiKJct the same j,'enemtion 
to denounce its own act, seeing there is so much to 
cause them to do the opposite; or even to admit that 
they had committed a mistake, which 1 have no 
<loubt many think now, althoujjh they are ni»t n»ady 
t4) say so. On the principK* that everything' is fair 
in war, the North fulminates an edict, in which they 
declare the ser\'ants of the slave-owning States free, 
with the view of umlmriLssin^ the action of the South 
in the Imttle-tield, and iKTjK-tnitin;; an act of mblier)' 
un<ler the gtiis*; of a suppos^tl right of goveninient, 
ami thereby retlucing many in the South to a state 
lionlering on beggary, through the low of their pro- 
jierty ; and no com|)ensation is thought of or given 
to tlKMm who have Uist their whole, and who hiul 
their claims disjios<>«l of under the plwi that they 
were reln-ls. and mi:,'ht U' thankful of N-ing left in 



86 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

the possession of their own heads. How different was 
the case of our own country. When we wanted to 
get quit of the stain connected with the guilt asso- 
ciated with the trade, we bargained with the owner 
and paid him the commercial value, and set the 
negroes free. But the Yankee in his 'cuteness con- 
ceived his purchase would be too dear at any money 
value, and he adopted the least expensive, by making 
it a necessity of the dispute, though it was not 
primarily an element in it, for at the same time the 
political value of a coloured citizen was reckoned in 
the statute book at three-fifths that of a white man. 

It has been said that history repeats itself. We 
have seen that the Americans have in many instances 
associated themselves in idea with the early Eepublics. 
The Lacedaemonians, like them, had their helots, and 
they at one time affected to confer rights on them, 
which they found afterwards ill-accorded with the 
name and prestige of these heroic Spartans, and 
almost as soon as they were invested were they 
divested of them, for reasons much the same as 
are found in America to-day, and these chiefly by 
the importance with which they have become inflated 
in connection with their electoral power. The niggeis 
are favoured and courted for their vote, and promises 
made to them which inspire them with ideas of being 
senators and members of Congress; but their U plitri- 
hus unu'iii does not read in that way, and it is a ques- 



BALTIMORK. 87 

lion if ever they will allt>\v it Ut do m^ Tliey are 
not the children uf tlie laud, which might have 
weight, if they were so, in becuriiig )ieq»etiud iuiiuu- 
Dities to tiiem ; but tliey are uot, and their labour is 
irrej^uhir tuid unavailable, their conduct \^ brutiub, 
and there are frequently contestb, arising out of 
uothiug but the ([ue.stion of colour, which end in 
blrKKlshed, .lud must like will end »oiue day in the 
extinction of the race, so far m Auieriua i» concerne<l. 
The Americiin.s are a hard working jieople, ami tliey 
and the blacks tire ill-)>aireil in this iMirticular; at 
the intervals at uieids the one haa a newsjMiper, while 
the other, like a pig, is snoring liib precious time 
away under the burning rays of the sun, and he 
looks (|uitc at home in that condition; anything but 
work. And he is sure to be found in a variety «»f 
enlerjiriaes where the eiisiest kind of labour is wante«l. 
They are found in Ijands perambulating the ctmntry 
and delineating the felicity of their condition when 
living ujKin the plantation in tlie South, ami some- 
times on u begging excursion to other landn. Himring 
a kind «»f spiritual comic »4>ng». but alw . -u 

of some pale face; for it w an indi>|HM) ru 

in their social economy to have somo «ome one to 
take them in charge. Thi« may be to obviate a diffi- 
culty they often rxptfrii'me— that of l)eing denied 
admittance to railway can. «Scc.. whi»h lo«ik- 
ImnlMhip. but v^-^ to show that the l»lack uu 



88 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

of Eepublicanism is not relished, and will be dis- 
pensed with by those arbitrary masters who are shut 
up from taking any action till the facts of the late 
rebellion are partially forgotten. But the lamps of 
the old capital are beginning to flicker in the 
distance, and the waters of the Delaware are 
reflecting the lights on the many wharves on the 
curve of the river, and the dim outlines of the 
Quaker City are getting stronger and stronger, the 
lights brighter and brighter, and the big bell rings 
out its warning voice, and shortly the train is at rest, 
and crowds are getting on the tramway cars, and fol- 
lowing the example of " the lave," we mount, and set 
off for our hotel after our ride from Baltimore. 



r II A I' 1 1. i; \ 1 i 1 



I'llILAHELrillA. 



If the historian, the antiquarian, --i in- i-iiiK»loj,nst 
were in quest of a field for enterjm.sing hilwur, I 
think the ancient capital of the Union would l>e 
alx>ut the liest that he could select, for I think no 
motleni city is ecpial to their wants in the way of 
furnishing the amount of materials. In point of his- 
toric interest the old capital of the I'nion will always 
hold a first jdace, f«)r there i.s much coiinecte<l with 
the histor)- of it which will always secure for it a 
prominent place among the cities of the Union. 
^^'hen we come to institute iiKjuiries, our interroga- 
tions are met by a string of replies almost too nu- 
merous to tninsfer to the memor}-, and to retain 
them there. One name is m ch»s««ly associated with 
this track <»f country that one instinctively wishes to 
know how the sagacious Quaker is so pniminuntly 
l)efore you wherever you go, and as the incidentii ex- 
planator}' of this an» worthy of lieing recit<««l, it may 
Ix; as well to state that that |Mirtion of Auierira called 
the State of rennsylvania wan handeil over to the 
I'enn family in. or as |iayni<'t)t of ii il. '.f Iv I'lmrlofl 



90 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

the Second, in the exercise of the " Right Divine " he 
so scrupulously contended for, and William Penn, a 
hundred and ninety years ago went out to take pos- 
session of it, which he did ; planned a city on what 
he considered the most advantageous spot, constructed 
a code, and appointed an executive in conjunction 
with himself for the conduct of civil affairs. 

But during this time there was one important and 
striking transaction which fell to be consummated. 
The land, though sold by the King to Admiral Penn, 
was possessed by the aborigines of the country, and 
Penn had to treat with these people, so as to let him 
have undisturbed possession, and this negotiation has 
its record preserved on a stone called "The Penn 
Treaty Monument," which is inscribed with the words, 
" Treaty Ground of William Penn and the Indian 
Nation, 1682," and concludes with the words, " Un- 
broken Faith." We may ask why so many of the 
subsequent treaties between the Indian and American 
cannot have the " Unbroken Faith " added to them ? 

In the name of the State itself we discover much 
that is indicative of the kind of land Penn found 
when he landed in the " blue anchor." About a year 
. before the occasion which I refer to, the name, which 
is something akin to the term " Peun's Garden," at 
once brings up a land of forests, and this is fully 
borne out in the name of the streets, which, I believe, 
were so named ; and so far as we can judge there 



PIIILAIIELPIIIA. 91 

must have lieeii quite a variety in that ixirt of the 
country. The streets genemlly run at rij^ht auglo^. 
Those running fruiu east to west have niuae>, and 
those running acrosH are by numbers, and on a fixed 
principle; for intance, from Front to First Street ex- 
hausts the first lUU.oiul at Second Stn*et l>egin« 200, 
tlie odd numbers on one side, the even numlxTs on 
the other, and it matters not whether the wiiole 
numbers between the hundreds are exhausted or not, 
the Thinl, Fourth, or Fifth Streets ])egin the fourth 
or fifth hunilreil, ils the case may be, and by this 
arran^jement, if one knows the uumiIht sought, you 
can go to the nearest point to it frtini any i«irt of 
the cit}' by car or foot, and as tlie cars have tlio 
names of streets on them through wliich they run, 
the city is easily overtaken. The streets whith are 
main arteries of the city are named Alder. AsjH?n, 
Almond. IJeech, Cedar, Cherry, Chesnut. Kim. Fil- 
bert, Jessamine, Linden. Myrtle. Dlive. Tine. I'uplar. 
Sycamore. Spruce. Vine, Wabml, Willow ; and one 
can see from these viu-iety was not awanting. ami you 
can see as great a variety as you like in the condition 
of the streets. The causeway of the great majority 
of the streets is very inferior to our own. but is simi- 
lar to the streets in other towns and cities in the 
Union; but there are some of the finest |Mivemunts 
on the thief streets I i'Vit miw, com|M>MHl of gninite, 
containing from 7o to 80 cubic feet of ntugli dressed 



■92 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

flags and the curb of the same material ; generally 
there is but one car on the narrow street, and the cars 
on that street all run in the same direction, and if 
you want to go in the opposite you must go to the 
next block, and you will find the same cars going 
the opposite way. On many of the streets, though 
comparatively narrow, there are trees planted along 
their entire length, which give them a handsome 
appearance; but when a fine building is on one of 
these its attractiveness suffers very much, and very 
many of the best buildings in the city are so placed ; 
but the finest buildings are all on open spaces, and 
there are very many of these, but some of the build- 
ings whose outsides are not very attractive, are very 
interesting on account of their historical connections 
and associations. They will point out to you the 
house where the first American flag was made ; the 
house that stands where Penn landed, where his own 
house stood, which only lately disappeared ; the 
church where he worshipped ; and the first house of 
Parliament, the old " Carpenter's Hall," and " Inde- 
pendence Hall," the hall where the " Continental 
Congress " held its first sitting on the day after the 
bombardment of Boston took place by the troops 
of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and 
where declaration of independence was made, and 
which was subsequently used by the British troops 
as barracks, and was afterwards used as a bank, but 



PIIILADKLI'lilA. 93 

is now i\80i\ to holtl tlie " lufinorics of the pa»t," in 
the form of an^-thing which is a memento of thenc 
stirring times, or of luen wlio ])hu'(Ml a {tnrt in the 
great scenes f»f the nation'^ liU'iiy fnnu tUf gnlling 
yoke of British Ixjmhige ; u cousj.! ;iK»r of 

portraits of American warriors ani n, from 

Washington to Lincoln. The old bell which rang 
out a merr>- iK?al at the time of the declaration of In- 
dependence on the 4th of July, 177<». i.s consigiu'*! 
among the relics of these liery times. Then* is a 
hall uiKjtairs. and in this hall Wtishiiigton delivennl 
his farewell address, when he left the sword to return 
to the {dough, like the Greek and Honian henies of 
old. On the top of this huilding there is a spin*, but 
I never aspired to mount any bright after Wjishing- 
ton column at Baltimore. (XT this one, it is said, 
you can get a gcxxl view of the city, but I doiibt it, 
aa it is no height, and, so far as I could loam, iUetv 
was no elevation in rhiladelphia where thero is access 
to view the land, at lea.Ht of that kind. <' 'is 

building, on the pavi'uient, is a statue ot ii 

encircle<l with a mil of inui, fi>r this is the most 
public place in the city. The (ienenU r«»st OHice u 
close by. but it is unworthy of a remark; but a now 
one is in course of enx.>tion, ami, if I mistake not, 
was the third or fourth instancu of a like kind I had 
noticeil in the cities of the Union, and thoy an* all 
magnificent buildin"* \ii..tli.r nniu.nt.. ..f ili.- 



94 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

early days of the Union is the grave of the Philo- 
sopher Franklin, in a modest, homely spot hy the 
public highway. With nothing but the iron fencing 
of the churchyard between, can be seen the grave of 
Franklin and his wife, as they repose beneath the 
shadow^ of the oA^erhanging branches of a tree, and a 
large stone slab reveals to the traveller the resting- 
place of the great citizen of the world. 

In this city there are some finer buildings than are 
to be seen out of the capital. There are several 
newspaper offices that equal the Herald office in New 
York, and the leading businesses in the city have 
warehouses and offices which are examples of archi- 
tecture, and stand very high, if they can be excelled 
anywhere. The banks, hotels, and theatres, of which 
there are six; museums, libraries, and scientific insti- 
tutions, colleges and churches, benevolent institutions, 
cemeteries, and public parks. There is a library for 
tlie use of apprentices, and a school of design for 
women. There are hospitals and asylums, mints, ar- 
senals, docks, navy yards, sugar refineries, shipbuild- 
ing yards. It is not possible to refer to but a few, 
and I will take a college for the first, as the donor, 
from the extent of his benefaction, is entitled to pre- 
cedence. The college is called after the donor, 
" Girard College," which, with its surroundings, is 
built on forty-five acres, and cost 200,000 dollars in 
construction. The building is of white marble, and 



riiii.AMr.i.JiiiA. '.«.« 

said to be finest sjxjcimen of Orecian architecture in 
i^merica. It is much like the temple of Diana at 
Ephesus or at Mapiesia, or the toniple of Virtue and 
Honour at Kome, or mthor like the latter, as the 
colonnade is a sinj^le row of columns, whereas the 
two fonner had double colonnmles. The ]M>ilin)ent is 
plain, there is no fij^ure design of any kind in the 
recess, there is (»nly a single nuKlillion on the cornice, 
and no enrichment on the freize ; there is only a 
single dfKiron the fa«;;ide, and the steps are continued 
round the whole building. In the vestibule there is 
a statue of the donor in white marble, and he Kwks a 
homely and eccentric jH^rson, as I Kdieve he was. 
The funds at the tlisjKJsal of the tnistees of the col- 
lege enable them to educate al»out five hundriHl 
orphans, from the white population only, agetl from 
six to ten years, and they are clotlunl, fed. and 
educate<l until they are eighteen years of age. when 
they must leave. In the wunls of the j-olh'gi' nre 
librarie.H and museums, where sjH'riuH'ns «»f tin- w«»rk 
of the sfudents arc seen, chuw r*H»ms and l«Mture hall; 
and in an ai>artment on the top floor are neon the 
relics of the donor's household — old- fash ionwl lje«l- 
steail, chain*, tables, pictures, and a variety of such 
things as wi-re found in houses in the world, when 
men did not sjM-nd all their means in such tilings as 
were calculated to astonish their neigh boun. but 
could save something for such purposes, like old 



96 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

Stephen Girard. On the top of this college a fine 
view of the country is got, and we observe that the 
college is laid on the roof with tiles of white marble, 
and the gross weight of what covers the roof is with- 
in a fraction of 1,000 tons. Eound the main build- 
ings are the residences of the students, and the 
grounds are laid out in a tasteful manner; and in the 
yard is a monument raised to a number of the stu- 
dents who fell in the war between the North and 
South. It is like a little temple supported on four 
pillars, and inside is a statue of a volunteer, fully 
equipped, and on a pannel are the names of the young 
men who fell, and the battles they were engaged in. 
There are splendid walks and drives in the park, 
and the whole is enclosed with massive walls. 
Such is one of the benefactions of Ste^jhen Girard. 
The second is in the very heart and centre of the 
busiest part of the city, where several acres of land 
which belonged to him have been built upon, and the 
ground rents go by virtue of his settlement to lessen 
the taxation of the city; and some of his estates, 
which have improved since he died, will, I presume, 
be devoted to increase these benefactions or create 
others. There are several buildings which one can 
also mention so as to give an idea of the quality of 
the city, but to describe would require a volume to 
do so satisfactorily. The first I will mention is the 
Horticultural Hall, which, I believe, was the first of 



PHILADELPHIA. 

the kind iu the coiiiitr}'. Tlie stylu uf the building 
is what I would Ik; incliueil to call (Jn'ciim nintic, 
and is a luansive, hauilsoine hiiildinj;. I lielieve 
when their floral and pomological displays take 
place, they can All the immense auditorium t^i ttuflo- 
cation. Close by ia the Acatlemy of Music, the 
largfst ojKTa-hoUiie in the Unitetl State**. Tht- build- 
ing is iui elegant one, in the Italian t}"]*** of the Hy- 
xautine scIkmjI. The luill is nearly 200 by 200, and 
70 feet high, and will seat nearly 3,000 (lersons. 
Then, again, there is the Academy of Natural 
Science, an aiuph- looking' building, in tlu- styh* of 
Gothic architectuiv. with all the vurious iliiA.-.-nKiiiui. 
lectur\?-rfH)m, and ollices. The library contains alwut 
23,000 volumes, and the museum al)out 250,000 aytc- 
ciuieiiB in the dejiartments of ztxilogy, geology, and 
botany, and 05.000 of niinenU fossils. The Ixttanical 
collection is .said to Ikj exc<'ede«l only by tht* tMlItM"- 
tion in the British .Museum, and the oolle< ' 
biitls i& both rich and attractive. 

I" waa desirous to discover if there was any Fine Art 
collection in the city, but I was told that llmt deiKirt- 
ment of art was in a sort of tnuisitor)* state ; the old 
Fine Art gallerj' was tlefunct, and the new one was 
unlinished, so the pictures could not be seen T 
don't know what that meant, but I waa unsu< 
in seeing any pictures anywhen; in th<* States, i m-^ 
new building could not Iju .seen except on Uie phuu*, 

U 



98 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

but it will be worthy of the city when completed, 
and the next time T go back I will probably be more 
successful in the Fine Art line ; but it is likely if I 
had seen that I would not have seen something else, 
for where there is so much to see, and one's time 
limited, that must of necessity be the case. 

One of the three mints which produce the circulat- 
ing medium of the States is here in one of the chief 
streets of the city, and is an object of attraction ; but 
as the engraver and the printer have been chiefly en- 
gaged on the American money for a number of years, 
the mint was scarcely of as much interest as it would 
have been had the opposite been the case. I did not 
see them engaged on any kind of the present metal- 
lic currency, but preparing sheets of metal for the 
dies. There is a museum upstairs, and in it the coins 
of every country in the globe are to be seen. The 
building itself is not a large one. It resembles a 
church, looking at it from the front, but when one 
sees the immense tall chimney standing up through 
the centre of it, your idea of an ecclesiastical struc- 
ture evaporates in the smoke. The front of it stands 
close to the line of street, and is surrounded with a 
rail. 

There is a magnificent cathedral, church in one of 
the streets, and it is a building of considerable merit 
and grandeur. The dome rises over 200 feet high, 
and is surmounted with a large gilded cross. It is 



I'HlLAUtLl'HlA. 99 

cruciform, luid the style is n mixture of tlie Greek 
and Itoman. In the inside are gorgeous religious 
accessories, and there are frescoes by Signor C. Bru- 
niidi, who painteil the frescoes iu the Capitol at 
Wasliington ; and it is desigiiatwl the Catheilral of 
St Teter tuul St, I'aul. In the outskirts of the city 
there is a college or seminary called after St Cliarles 
IJorromeo. Metiiinks I hear some one say, VNHio is 
lie i St. Peter we know, ami St. Paid wo know, hut 
who is St. Charles Ii«»rromeo ? I thought my-sflf I 
lutd fallen in with him .somewhere iH'fore. either in 
the Cathedral of Milan or the Btisilica AmhnMianae 
in that .sanie city — a gentleman evidently of pn^cious 
and eminent qualities, for all that tan or cuuld lie 
<onsfrveil of him — namely, the Ijones — an; to lie 
found in one of the places nametl, n»l)e<l in the rarest 
and costliest costume, compose<l of gold and silver, 
with chains, rings and crozier stu<hled with hrilliantii 
and precious gems, and cnshrinMl or encas***! in a 
cr}'stjd ca.sket ; and to this half-human hair-urtifuiid 
idol do thousjinds in Itidy liow the kn<H> ami ]M»ur 
out the stream of their devotiomd ignorance U-fore the 
skeleton of this fictitious saint. I would not have 
made tliis deviation luul I not \>wn imprussed with 
the iilea that then* an» ver}' many who have never 
heard of St. Carlo Itorromeo. And <»ne can sw the 
I'stinuite of his worth its accepted l»y the jnHiple who 
i-**ared this fiii'- -.fmnirv Tt is in thi- Ii.ili.m stvl«-. 



100 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

and must have cost a large sum of money. I hope 
the influence of the teaching by the students who are 
reared here will do more for America than they have 
done for Italy. 

The villas of the merchant princes of Philadelphia 
are beautiful specimens of architecture. This was 
the only place where I saw one of these composed of 
white marble, and when set off on a bachgroiind of 
fine trees and well-disposed shrubbery, had a spark- 
ling effect in the mellow light of a summer evening. 
Here, as in the other large American cities, there is 
a public park, and they say it is the largest in the 
States ; but for beauty and effect they are disposed 
to place the Central Park in New York before it. 
The public park in Philadelphia, or Fairmount, as it 
is called, has the advantage of any park that I saw, 
for the river Schuylkill and one of its tributaries are 
in part enclosed in the grounds of the park, which 
make it one of the nearest approaches to a fairy scene 
which can be found anywhere. In the park are found 
large squares or openings, and in their centres are 
found monuments of notable statesmen and citizens, 
and these rare and incomparable works of art are 
fenced in with varied and skilfully arranged works 
of arborial and floricultural art. The river is spanned 
with light and airy-looking bridges, consonant with 
all that is seen about. Boat-houses, refreshment cafes, 
open drives along the banks of the Wissahickon — all 



i /iiLAi'r.LriuA. lul 

richly wootled witli tail jmlriarchal-Kiokiuf^ pinc'«, ami 
ropleto with iiatuml Ix'uuties uiul I'lihajictiil with Uie 
various works of art winch un* iwual in these iilaco*. 
There are many cemeteries in and aruund llie city. 
Some of them have a mixinl projirietar}'— others be- 
long to boilies, such as OiUlfellows — and others to 
trades, such as enpneers ; but these are marked by 
the absence of those rich works which we see in some 
of the others. In Wootlbine Cemetery there is a 
maus<jltum in the form of a close temple, surrounded 
with a iMiraiMit, and it is alloweti to be the finest of 
that character in the country. One can see an iso- 
lated building of rare Ixjauty here and there in various 
places, but the finest as a whole to Iw seen in the 
States is the (IreenwtxKl Cemetery at Hnwklyn. There 
ii nothing can touch it anywhere- out of I'ere* la Chase, 
at Paris. The churches in Philadelphia are* very 
varitnl in styles of architecture. Sume ancient, luid 
the nuNlern ones arc> costly and reflect an amount of 
cretlit on the memU'rs. and enrich the city in no onli- 
nar}' tlegree. There- is one built of wliit<- marble, and 
re-cently finisheil, which is iiuito a gein. It ia a Gothic 
building, hiis a fine spire-, and rich tmcen' running 
tliMugh ami tlividing the |iaintc<l and .ttuinetl glass 
windows, the light and shadow ntreaming across the 
buttresses. The «)rnate and fancy work on Uie roof, 
s|iarkling with its dott«Ml buniished and im*gidar 
fretti-*! ridges, form a very pleasing contrast to tho 



102 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

monster Masonic Temple which has just been com- 
pleted alongside, and which, for the benefit of the 
craft on this side, I will describe in my next 
chapter. 



V II A I'T K i: IX 



MASONIC TEMPLK AT PIIILAUEU'HIA. 

As I indicatetl fonuerly, there is a special interest 
associatfd with fverythinj; in this plnco on mvonnt of 
})eing the early cajiital «»f tht? l'ni<»n ; hut ujMirt from 
the interest with which we nuiy repinl riiihulelphin 
on account of her fonuer {Militii-al |>o8ition. then* is 
another which is nf^artled ixa {uiraniount to that, for it 
is, 80 to speak, the capital of the hrethriMi of the 
"mystic tie" — FreeiujuHonry. This fnct has been 
made doubly conspicuous lately, on ai-count of the 
Masons of Pennsylvania having built an enorniouH 
temple, at the cost of somewhert* aliout £;iOt),000. 
This larjje building, without any otlier fa«ts U'fore 
one, would confinn the opinion that the nuniU'r «>f 
masons was ver)* gn>at in and about rhihidrlphia. 
Indeed the brethren in this country luive very little 
conception of the character of this institution in 
Ameriai. an«l ••siK-rinlly in this city, where the bretli- 
ren nuniUT rj.« MX) alone, and in the State )M»nie\vhere 
alxiut .'iO,ft(M» Twenty yean* ago the rmfl lomplet*"*! 
a fine ttmiple for their us*!, in tme of the tini'st »it*« 
in the city, and have occupied it during that time. 
Six years ago it was found to )m« too nmall for their 



104 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

accoramodation, and they resolved to build a larger 
one, and this building, which has just been finished 
and consecrated, has no equal in the world. There 
are 59 lodges in the city which meet in the temple, 
according to the various degrees, and the arrange- 
ments are such as to allow all to meet according to 
their degrees in Masonry. The ground on which the 
temple stands costs about £30,000. The site is one 
of the finest in the city, being at a corner of one of 
the principal squares, and in company with some of 
the finest buildings in the city. Close by this edifice 
they are busy putting up a block of buildings for 
civic purposes which measures over four hundred 
feet square. I think they are to be of granite. I 
only saw the finished drawing of them. The architect 
is a Scotchman, and is named Macarthur. And near 
to it again the Academy of Fine Arts is in course of 
erection ; alongside of it the new Methodist Episco- 
pal Chapel stands, which is of white marble, so that 
the surroundings are quite consonant with the mag- 
nificent temple of the ancient craft. The corner- 
stone was laid five years ago, and as a matter of 
course a fine display was made at the time, and the 
gavel which was used on the occasion was the one 
with which General Washington laid the corner- 
stone of the Capitol in Washington city. The stone 
itself weighed ten tons, and many valuable masonic 
relics were deposited in the cavity. There was a 



MASONIC TKMl'LE AT rillLAliELPHlA. 100 

fragment of the foundation -stoiit- from 8«jli)mou't» 
Temple, which was du^ fnim l>eneath the mo8t|ue of 
Umiir, nml a piece of marble frunj the gulden giite of 
King Solonmn's Temple. It also contained a piece 
of stone from the foundation of the temple at Jeru- 
salem, and a piece of one of the cetlars of Ix'ljauon. 
This gigantic building is l)ouniletl by four streeta, its 
length is 200 feet and I'lO feet broad, and it tteeuu 
to lie, lor»king at it from thi^ out«ide, three storeys 
high ; but the tower, which is the great fwiture of 
Uie building, is 250 feet high, and rises straight from 
it« own foundation, which is 30 feet below the line 
of pavement on the t4^>p, an<l ot the angles of this 
towur aiv four turrets. On looking at those fnmi the 
street they looked dwacfed, but they are aliout M 
feet high. There is a small tower at tlie opiMxtite 
front angle, which terminates in a sort of battlement, 
with four turrets, and there are numemus turrt'ts on 
the centnU jMirtion of the buiMing. and one at eiuh 
comer. The style of the building is Norman, 
and then; is a bn'adth and miuisivenrsH nUtut it 
which is imjKMing, and conveys an idea of stability 
and grandeur. Tlie buiKling of this temple wa« 
effected in th«' same manner as tlie Temple at .leru- 
salem. There was no •wiuntl of hammer or tool 
heanl. the stones having Inhmi dn'SM^I ami made 
ready for tiieir places in the (juorry or some pUoe 
away from the city, and none but FrL'eniasonn wer« 



106 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

engaged on the work during its execution. The 
entire fagade of the building is a work of great merit 
and masterly architectural elaboration, defying any 
thing like description, especially from one whose 
theme is not architecture alone. The doorway or 
porch is singularly so. I mean the main entrance, 
for, like Solomon's Temple, this one has three en- 
trances — an east, west, and south. The western is 
the grand entrance, and is deeply recessed to allow 
of ornamentation on the stonework, which is a deep 
and richly-carved arch of granite, with open balcony 
above. 

Suppose we enter from the main entrance, we pass 
through massive and carefully constructed doors, and 
are ushered into the vestibule of the temple at once, 
and on either side are seen sphynxes, the Egyptian 
symbols or representations of Wisdom, Strength, and 
Beauty, and the fixtures for lighting the entrance are 
novel and curious in their construction. The main 
hall from this sweeps right through the building, and 
is laid with marble tiles in white and black, and an 
ornamental border surrounding the end. All along 
and up the stair runs a base or dado of polished 
marble, and the same in the lobbies, halls, and pas- 
sages. The stairway is a massive iron structure, 
having iron railing and handrail of ebony. The steps 
of the stair are easy in ascending, and they are all 
padded with indiarubber pads, which is suggestive. 



MASONIC TKMI'LK AT I'HllaDEU'HIA. UC 

As you enter, the first syu»l»oIic figure whicli nttracto 
your attention is that of Silence, tthich stands in the 
way as you seek the teacliin^' for wliich the noviro <»r 
cantiidate is in (jue^t. A tliu* fflttt is prtvluctMl cm the 
stair and hall hy having' the way overhead invuriHl 
with staine<l glass, which throws it** light of varied 
colour on the objects below. On the upper stair hall 
are placed three figures in a recuiul*ent jKisition. 
These are the gracus — Faith. Ho|)e. ami Charity — 
whih' the (igur»' l>eliiw stands with two fingJTs on her 
lip. indicating that to see ami lu-ar an* the duties of 
the novice; when he ascends to higher and hiftier 
teachings words are iniiienitive. In the Htaineil-gloAs 
window on the fnmt side of the hall al»ove an* the 
various enihlaxonings of the various <U»grees of the 
craft, examples of nin« vitrious art. On the areh ore 
the jewels denoting the progressive step»* of the 
fraternal laliours of the craft, and repn>^>ntative 
statues of their jxisition in Faith. Hofx?, Charity. 
Wiwlonj, Strength un«l iVauty; luid Udow. in a circle 
surrounding hint who was leanuHl in all the wisdom 
of the KgA'ptian. as ho stands beside the burning 
bush, are the words in connectitm with the anti(|uity 
of the Onler. " SU lujc et liur/uit." 

In de«<ribing the interior of the buil ipn 

it wouhl lie well to take the pure Mi • r; 

and, suiting the action to the word, we munt desctMul 
♦'• »•— ItoMcment ond conn* gradually to the upper 



108 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

parts of the temple. Down below, on a level with 
the foundation of the tower, there is a well of pure 
water, and there is an engine of eight horse- power to 
force up the water through the entire building ; and 
adjacent to the various halls are eight beautiful 
fountains, constructed in keeping with the character 
of the building and of the various apartments. The 
pipes are so arranged in the lower depths that iced 
or hot water can be got to suit any occasion, and 
thus one of the first principles is inculcated and 
given eifect to, on one of the fountains near the 
Asylum of the Knight Templars, in the words — " If 
any man thirst let him come unto me and drink." 

I may state that the interior of the buikiing has 
been so constructed that the principal halls are speci- 
mens or examples of the various schools or styles of 
architecture, and the furnishings, accessories, and 
decorations are all completed to accord with their 
styles. In coming up from the basement storey we 
are necessitated to take the subordinate halls or 
lodges. These are three, as they are arranged, the 
Egyptian being first on account of its antiquity, and 
on either side are the Norman and Ionic. The Egyp- 
tian hall is 65 feet long and 50 wide, and 30 feet 
high, and is the only perfect specimen of Egyptian 
architecture in America. It looks an extraordinary 
room on account of the massive and peculiar style of 
the Egyptian period. The furniture of this apart- 



MASONIC TKMI-LE AT JillLADKU'UlA. 10'.« 

ment is also chametoristic ; the Mast4>r'H thmiie nud 
chair are weighty uiiil iiupoAin^, and are ;;iUled 'iliony. 
His {Kxlestal. stAutlin^ at Iiis right hand, h flanked 
by two mysterioiw sphynxes. who gajse »i|hui the 
behoKler, and tlu* chair is tl:inke<l hy two eagluss. 
The i«eile{»tnls of the Siiii<tr and . I union Wanlens are 
all uniquely decomtetl. and the sofas prf)vide«l liavo 
capacity to seat alwut 2U0 hrethren at ouch?. Tlie 
furniture throughout is gilded elwny aiverwl with 
black and goKl r»'|»p. and the cnrjK't is blue, witii an 
admixture of other colours. This ai>artnient lieing so 
unlike any to be seon in America, will always Iw 
an object of curiosity to strangers and the outer 
world. South of the Kg}']»tiiU) is tlie Ionic hall, 
which is another suUinlinate U»«lge-nM>ni. Tliis *i» 
somewhat liiTger than the hall U'f«»re di'MrnlKxi. 
This hall is To feet long by 50 wide and 'AO feel 
high, and the decorations and itii funuture are of the 
purest (in*cian Ionic tyiie, elogiuit and gruceful, but 
n<." i ml 

or 1 '!"♦ 

are not so ulcphantine, imt tliu ' niuiit 

have many ft'im". r. The liall i.. ., 1 buiug 

lighte<l by d.L windows on two sidas, and 

ha* ample Vfiitili! I'll •: 

it is lighttril up witli hah 

Tlie furniture is made •»! u.iluut. wiili oi^lur and 

buttenxit iiil:i\ Hiiii lovi-n-il uitli n-Pp of blue lUld 



110 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

gold. On the uortli-east corner of the building, and 
of the same dimensions as the Ionic, is another 
lodge-room, the Norman, and the apartment is a 
thorough example of Norman decorative art, and 
with its full furnishings is as perfect an example or 
representation of the order as can possibly be. The 
settees have luxuriant spring seats, which are covered 
with yellow leather, and the stations of the three 
officers are much admired. The furniture is made of 
walnut and fir, and in the carpet the dominant colour 
is blue. 

There is a fourth subordinate lodge, which is on 
the main floor. It is called the Oriental Hall, is im- 
mediately below the Norman Hall, and is about the 
same size as the apartment above. This hall is in 
style throughout a brilliant example of Moorish archi- 
tecture, and the Eastern character is carried out in the 
minutest details on walls, ceiling, cornices, woodwork, 
and furniture. The hall itself is one of the finest in 
the temple, all being in strict accord with Moorish 
style, having all the Saracenic brilliancy of colour 
and peculiarities of that showy style. The seats are 
covered with blue leather. 

The principal floor is chiefly taken up with the two 
chief apartments of the building, the Grand Lodge 
Hall and the Grand Chapter Hall ; one on the north- 
ern end, the other on the southern side, and a num- 
ber of vestibules and waiting rooms ; the remainder 



MASONIC TtMlLE AT PlIlL-VUEUillA. Ill 

oru the K^ptiAU, Ionic, autl Xoniian Halls. Thu 
Graiul Lcxlge uml (inuul Chapter Halls arc elevatcii 
to the roof of the temple, so that the upjjer fl*>or of 
all Duly extends over a jxirtion of the prinei|uU flo»»r. 
On the up|x?r floor is the Asylum of the ( 'ommanderie, 
the only purely Gothieh hall in the huililing. with it4) 
attendant Council Chamljers, waiting rooms, aVcuues, 
and se{>arat« a{mrtments for each res{iective cum- 
mandery. The buiUling altogether contains one Ctrand 
and six .SulKmlinute Lxlge Hooms; one (Jniml and 
one Sulx»rdiuate Chapter iJoom ; an Asylum. Council 
ChamlH.>r, and attenthuit aiiartment.s for the Knights 
Templar, a IJbrary, and a multitude <>{ small ajuirt- 
ments. 

The hall of the (Imnd Linlge is : utative 

a^Nirtment of the temple, and the 1.^ in it is 

lOo feet long, 50 wide, and 50 high, ihere is an 
octagonal vestibule at one end, and you eutor tiirough 
massive doors, whicii are artistically constnict4xl of 
walnut, and the iHinels are raiseil on Heidi: 'ir 

woinl ; the iHUiels are mottled widnut. y 

polished. The furniture of tiiis hall is wahtut and 
cedar, covered with blue plush, ami the scald arrangi'd 
round tlic hall will aceomuKMlate about 400. Tlieru 
Air ' liers to light the hall at night, and thu 

glii <{ is so constructed that enough of light 

is admitteti during the day t4i light the hall. Thu 
h.ill thii.'.iL'hr.iit is i,( tin- Coriiithiiiii ordir. f\rr\ tliiiiu' 



112 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

being in consonance with that style, and this like the 
other is intended as studies, as well as being repre- 
sentative, in both aggregate and detail, as perfect ex- 
amples. The Corinthian Hall is replete with Masonic 
emblems. Conspicuous and central on the north and 
south facades are ornaments representing the working 
tools of the Freemason, and figures emblematic of 
architecture. On the corners are fragments of an 
Egyptian capital, to which the figures holding the 
tools are pointing. The east and west facades contain 
ornaments representing the corn, the wine, and the 
oil ; in the centre of the east end are the platform and 
station of the Grand Master, and over it are the 
square and compass and rising sun. In the south is 
the Junior Grand Warden, and over it the sun at 
high noon. In the west is the Senior Grand 
Warden's station, and the emblem of the closing day 
marks his position. The magnificence of this apart- 
ment is enhanced by its great size and height, and 
the elaborate ornamentation and the appropriateness of 
the entire furnishings and adjuncts are completed in 
like grand and appropriate style. Before quitting 
this centre of Masonic interest, we have to say, as 
we feel, the grandeur of this temple inspires and 
impresses the visitor the moment he enters. Above 
is the broad artificial skylight, curiously intersected 
and wrought, tending to modify the light. On the 
left are four large windows, surmounted by a single 



M\>i-.Nn ir.Mii.K .\ i |-iill.Al'M.rin\. ii.i 

cornice, and tliviiltnl l»y Corinthian coluninH. On 
the right hand similar ouluuins enchiiie the Wanlen's 
chair, and in the distanre the Grand M dr, 

of wahiut and cedar, is set in a recess u ;.y. 

All aroiiml are tlie comiceu sumiountetl with a series 
of cones reachinj,' to the skylight line, rich with 
festoons of flowers and leaves ornamenting the 
columns. 

Tlie brilliant lights from the s|>arkling gasalien 
falling on the rich |»lush blue, ami the varied i-olourod 
carpet ; the petlestal. erected with the same ma- 
terial ivs it, stands in the centre of the lodge, with 
open Bible laid out beneath the fl(Mxl of light 
falling from the great lights alnive ; the fullness, 
the viLHtness and completeness of the phue. make it 
a luminous an<l impressive exiionunt of the laws and 
the government of the order, and of the exceptional 
and solitar}' i>osition this one holds in relation to the 
other Icxlge-rooms iu the world. 

The ajjartment designetl as the nufting-place «if 
the Cinmd Chapter is a comiNinion to the alMive in 
miignilicence, though it is a degree smaller. It is still 
a ver)' largo nK»m. differing only from the other in 
length. It is Oil ft»et by 50 fwt and '.() fwt in height ; 
tin iiH and furnishing are in the Italian 

/i' tyle of architecture. Tljmugh<»ut the 

walls and ceilings are seen the emblems peculiar to 
Iio)*al Arch Masonry displayotl in their progrcwtional 

I 



114 THE STATES AND CANADA, 

form. The skylights, constructed like the other, shed 
a profusion of modified light by day, and at night the 
hall is illuminated by a series of elaborately-finished 
gasaliers. In the centre of the eastern end of the 
hall is the triple chair of the high priest, king, and 
scribe peculiar to this degree of Masonry. In this, 
like the other apartments, the whole furniture is of 
the richest character, being made of walnut and in- 
laid with mahogany and Californian redwood. Eed 
is the prevailing colour here, as blue is in the Grand 
and other lodge halls. A striking feature of this 
apartment is the veils of the temple, which are subor- 
dinate in the performance of some of the mysteries of 
of Royal Arch Masonry. Four high and beautiful 
arches are sprung across the room midway between 
the floor and ceiling ; from each of these depends a 
veil. These veils contain twelve hundred yards of 
the best French satin ; a nicely-adjusted windlass 
raises them, and is done in a few seconds when neces- 
sary. The room throughout is entirely emblematic 
of the various degrees of the Chapter, and is in every 
way as magnificent as the Grand Lodge Hall. It is 
entered from a vestibule of exquisitely-finished 
woodwork, and surrounded with the adjacent apart- 
ments necessary for the work, convenience, and com- 
fort of the Companions in conferring the degrees. 
In the vestibule is a fountain of variegated marble, 
12 feet high, and the whole furniture of it and 



MASONIC TKMPLK AT PHILADKLPHlA. 115 

waiting room .ire iimuhtHl to om-^tpoiul to the fur- 
nishing of thtm UitU ill eh-j^'jinto of finish juid 
appixipriaionojis of »l»i,si^Mi. The brilliant coloum in 
ihe Grand Clui]>tc-r Hall art? dazzling to a diyree 
Crimson is the prvvailinj^ colour of the carpet and 
funiitimj, whilst the veils an* white, trinison, purjile, 
iuid blue. The niinb«jw-hue<l cnmpl«xioii or arrange- 
ment of colouring o|,erat«?«l on by the nwlianw of 
ine light from alxive lUmost deprives the architecture 
of iu proper and natural effect An elalwraU" jwrch 
.simuoimts the throne and triple chair, and an organ 
ot very line construction filU a rticw in the northeni 
widl. The etlect of thi.s aijartmcnt on the vi.siu>r is 
entirely of u ilitferent kind to that experienced in 
liie Grand Lodge Hall lioth art; impreiwive. both 
thorough ropresenLfttions of thtt .Nfajwuiry to \m tiiught 
within them ; but the rich brilliancy of colour in the 
Chapter HjOI will .Uways Ik* the prevailing remem- 
brance of ilH chanicter and U-auties. 

IJefore I nifer U) any of the ajjarlments which are 
chiefly accesH<iry ami sulKmlinat**. 1 will n-fer to 
lht>«e which are of a hight?r degnM.. and which are 
devolctl to the gallant and enviinl bn'thn-n of the 
craft, the Knight Temphir». Their nxun i.h known m 
lUe asyluju, luid it has an adjacent Council Chamber, 
u drill room and |janc|uoi luUl. and a smaller room 
intended for regalia, and assembly nwin for the five 
Cumiiiauderies, and tlie other auxiliary ii[j(irtJuentH 



116 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

necessary for the service of the renowned Order 
The asylum is 90 feet by 45 feet, and 40 feet high, 
and extends across the building from north to south. 
This is the only Gothic apartment in the whole 
building. There are displayed the cross and crowns, 
the emblem of the knights, and they appear in all the 
decorations. The gasaliers are a compound of cro\vns 
and crosses wrought together with artistic skill, but 
the Gothic feature is never lost in the complex inter- 
mixture. The same style is evinced in the furniture 
and its decoration, and is covered with green leather. 
Two lines of seats extend round the asylum. A lofty 
platform bears the richly-ornamented seats of the 
principal officers, the Commander, Generalissimo, 
Captain General, and Prelate, and behind these is the 
organ. In the Eed Cross degTee, the first of the 
Knightly orders, a necessary adjunct is the Council 
Chamber. This apartment is west of the chief one, 
or the Asylum, and is 40 by 25 feet wide and 25 feet 
high, and has all the necessary facilities for the pil- 
grim warrior. An ample avenue extends entirely 
around the Asylum, and in it are placed three tents 
for the guards. In connection with this degree there 
is a banquet hall, which is 75 feet long and 35 feet 
wide, and 20 feet high. This hall wiU seat 250 per- 
sons, and has all the culinary attachments necessary- 
Like the other apartments, this one is decorated with 
all the emblematic lore of this degree, and each Tern- 



MASONIC TCMI'LE AT I'lllLADRU'lllA. 117 

plar has a closet for the keeping' of his aniis. nnifrirm. 
and craft decorations. 

lle.sides the banquet luill i.i.m-. <.-■. lii.i. .-. 
another which is on the first floor, and this hall, 
which the brethren inteml for th< I'h 

are a juirt of the fratenial whuK', "■ « st 

|»art of one side of the main floor, and is 1(»5 feet 
long by 50 wide, and 'M) feet hij?h. Its onhitecture 
is the Comitosite order. A double row of sixteen 
columns divide it. their capitals Ikmuj,' dwonitetl with 
Innls, fruit.s, and flowers. The turkey, the chief of 
gastronomic fowls, presides over the nmin entmnce, 
and is magnificently suggestive of the rites which 
receive the attention ami are disjjosed of by the 
brethren in this ajMirtment of the Temple. The nmm 
is c4i|iAble of seating' .'.oO |MTHons at once. Tliere are 
twenty tables, which can \ni miule to suit tlie extent 
of the company. Then* an? fifteen gasaliers to light 
up with a copious stream of light the whole ajiarl- 
ment, and in a con.spiiMious ]M>sition then* is a statue 
of Temjienmce. t«» remind the jubdants of tin* extent 
uf their " cable tow." The floor is nuule of hani 
wood and is not covered. Tliere is on a{Nirtment 
which is closely allietl to this one, antl it is nece«sary 
to refer to it, which is wjual to any to l>e found in 
any hotel in the counlr)'; it has a monnter range, and 
idl the other means for securing gotnl c«mking and 
prciMiring iitUatable dislu» for their •..-•.v.i..- .... high 



118 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

feast days. T have not referred to this part of the 
house in the manner of giving it any prominence, but 
simply because it is an incidental concomitant to the 
fe'stal displays which are associated with the Order, 
for the Library would fall naturally to be noticed, on 
account of its being the source of sustenance to the 
nobler part of the members. It is situated in one 
corner of the main floor, and its architecture is Italian 
Rennaissance, and is 65 feet long and 45 feet wide, 
and 30 feet in height, and is amply lighted on the 
two outside walls ; nine rows of columns divide it, 
and they are placed in pairs, and it is fitted up with 
walnut bookcases in the centre of the room, whilst 
there are newspaper stands, reading tables, and other 
articles of library furniture, and the whole are in- 
tended for use as well as ornament, and to form a 
complete Masonic library for culture and general 
reference by the brethren. 

It will be observed that each hall in the Temple is 
a sample of a different order of architecture. Free- 
masonry itself being the patron of architectural art, 
and in the Masonic edifices it should be the chief 
aim to give expression to this fact. This Temple in 
design has been made to give a model in complete- 
ness and a material and substantive embodiment of 
this idea to the world. We have in the various 
apartments the Egyptian, the Corinthian, the Doric, 
Ionic, Oriental, Norman and Gothic, the Italian Een- 



MASONIC TEMPLK AT PHILADEU'IIIA. 119 

naissance, »uid the composite orden of opchitocture. 
each being a complete study of iU) special »cho«il. the 
vails, ceiliii;;. furaiture. carpt-tH, and other fixture* are 
made con.^oniintly with these orders. The carpets 
were made in Great Britain fn>ii ^led 

by the Archiieei. 8t» that they th. iJse 

with the fittinj^ and funiishinpi. 

Tlieiv is only one other lot cif apartments that I 
have to refer to. These are those belonging to the 
grant! officers, and are on the niiiin floor. Tlie Grand 
Master is head of the whole Gnler in Pennsylvania, 
and is elected annually. l»ut genendly hoMs ollice for 
two years, lieing heail of the cmft and repri'S.M»tative 
of King Solomon. His apartments are prei>arod and 
complet.-il in a iimnner and style coianiensumte with 
his oHieml ilignily and iinjKirtaiice. There an' three 
rooms, op«'ning the one into the other. The tirst is 
the reception, the next the (irand Miuter's. and the 
thinl a private secretary's bureau, and a toilet room 
i.s f..nn.>rt.d to the wh.ile. llu- ' are rich 

and .'lul)oral.lv Ma-^onic The . '»•• furni- 

ture is blue leather. Ingruint-*! m tl. wal- 

nut of one of the main door» is a n; luc 

delineation of the c^.mpasne^ tquare, and all-«jeing 
eye. winch w<'niingly without an ' -^ »" 

the w.mhI work an.l is cuh ulalcd • rate 

and marked attention on account ol i: now 

application "' .1. . .-nit ive art on wwkI : 'in«l 



120 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

not imitated, and therefore regarded as consonant 
with the other strange symbolism of this ancient and 
mysterious fraternity. The Grand Secretary and 
Grand Treasurer have rooms close by, and they are 
richly furnished, and every suitable convenience is 
provided for themselves and their assistants. 

As I stated before, the cost of the Temple and 
ground on which it stands was the large sum of 
1,475,000 dols., and that money has been raised by 
virtue of a Masonic loan, on the powers of an Act of 
the Legislature of Pennsylvania, passed at the time 
operations were commenced, authorising the Grand 
Lodge to borrow money at not more than eight per 
cent., and the loan is the investment of all the lodge 
funds, and other Masonic bodies and Masonic charity 
funds are about one half, and the balance they have 
from various other sources. The old Temple, which 
stands in one of the best business streets in the city, 
must, when sold, yield to them a considerable amount 
of the balance, as I noticed it was in the market at 
the time the new one was consecrated in September 
last, when one of those pageants was witnessed which 
only Masons can accomplish, and which for grandeur 
was never equalled in this city of Philadelphia, 



r II A i' 1 K i: \ 



I'lllLAltKLi'llIA. 

My Stay in riiiladeliiiiui was prolouj^txl beyond 
what I hail at tin>t int^^Muleil, an at this {xiiut I vx- 
pecte<l lettenj from home, ami I wailtnl until I rvccMved 
them ; however, I do not tliink it wa.s on lu-count of 
my pmtrocteil stay that I made the tu:t(uaint4iuce of 
a little creature with a Sitauish muue, which is very 
importunate, in the evenings esf>ecially. t«> fiLHcinate 
you with a |)eculiar musical lulhiby about the time of 
retirinji to UhI. I'p to this time I was not aware of 
luiving had the snuUle.xt mark of attention U'hlowcd 
U|»on me by this delicate lieinjj. I had mh-u in some 
of the windows as I {mssed alou^ a thin fabric or 
transiKircnt covering' for protecting one against the 
tnibnice of this sanguinary courtier, but I n«"ver for a 
moment couHidm-d that it wa.** mveHHjiry t4» dhield 
myself against the enticing im|Hirtunities of any 
creature at l>ed-time. and resi>lve«l to pay no atteutinn 
to a practice which I supfiosed was only carried out 
by the II iialc, and as I liad " < Iv 

eludetl .1: i up to this time. I ii.: I 

would Im! Hate tor the future. I ilon t km»w that 
these creatun- •"v. mv 1.,. .us ..f irrivinL' ut .1 



122 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

knowledge of any resolution a person may take, or 
that they can be actuated by any feelings akin to 
revenge, for if I thought of any course of action in 
regard to them, certainly I never expressed it to any 
one ; but on going home one night I fancied my con- 
cert was likely to be over musical, if not discordant. 
The attendance I thought was unreasonably large, and 
I began to consider what was best to be done. Be- 
fore this time I had seen on the walls of my bedroom 
marks which up to this night had escaped my notice 
as to their real character, but now these marks 
were impressively suggestive as to their real exist- 
ence ; and as pictures often suggest to the mind 
first thoughts and then action, which at other times 
are foreign to it, so now I looked on these 
spots in the same light as Macbeth looked on 
the visioD of the instrument he was about to use, 
and I resolved to clear the room, and having made a 
formal declaration of war, it was my intention it 
should be a comhat a VoiUrancc, and having as I 
thought fully decimated the ranks of these winged 
syrens, I extinguished the " flaming minister," and 
consigned myself to the pleasures of dreamland. It 
is scarcely necessary for me to say that I awoke in 
the morning, and it was a favourable circumstance 
that I had resolved to leave the city for other scenes, 
for those who had made my brief acquaintance would 
have failed to identify me, or they might have as- 



rHii-Ai>Ki.i'inA. lj:> 

aertetl. as is sometimes done in a simil ir <\is.. •■ tlmt 
they had wakened the wrong i>er 
is quite po8si)»le for a p*»rRon fn«iii ■' :.. 

uiultTji) a complete and th<>muL'h tnin in 

on.' iii:fht by means of the \ ry 

adtlresses and caresse."* of tii ^ rv* 

the Yankee with more fear than tlie bigjjt'st quatlru- 
ped to \ie found in the prairies ; an«l the wisest thing 
for a j>erson to do who jfot?.* from this muntrA- to viait 
the States, is to take as mu<-h in ttid 

ready, as will env»«l*»p his lieail an he 

mny be defende<l ap^inst the attacks of moM|uitop«. 
It is. indeetl. a sm:Ul creaturv. Init to arrive at a full 
imilerstandinj; of the extent to which it operates on 
and influfiioes many of the ri- 

can chnnuter, would nxjuin "n- 

tinent, or to listen to the en«Ue«s stori«*s of the expe- 
riences of those who have sufferetl. endiired, or who 
have lieen eye-witnes««»s of the sufferinirs and endur- 
aiin* of others. ! tud 

endNllinheil uitli 'Ur 

innpinnl by heroic anhie>'ement8, a» much no as to 
make you feel you were listening to itome mar- 
ti:d inoideiils of tlie "eminent deadly hrea^^h;** 
and vou wil' in 

the alley, til he 

I'MlpJt. the pri»*s. the workshop, the ro>> 'he 

river, and e«- ••"••'■ ' ..»»,i ..r f., 



124 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

this side the Atlantic. When anybody has nothing 
to say, the encounters and escapades with the mos- 
quitoes immediately serve to fill up the gap, and 
everybody is at home at once, for everyone has one 
thing or another to say about them ; and every savan 
you encounter, especially if he sees that their arrows 
have been levelled at you with poisoned effect, is 
ready to give you his advice gratis as to what you 
should do to ward off their future attacks, or to 
enable you to get quit of your present disfiguration ; 
but it is all to no purpose, and they only waste their 
eloquence and your money, if you are foolish enough 
to follow their advice ; for, despite the overwhelming 
array of talent and the numerical strength of the 
enemy, and the scientific appliances for the destruc- 
tion of this insect, Miss Mosquito remains in posses- 
sion of her position and is likely to do so. 

The inventive brain of the American has been 
active to find some means to destroy this insect, and 
many compounds are offered for this purpose, and 
those which are the ihost effective are of that charac- 
ter whereof it is difficult to say of the bane or the 
antidote which is best or \vorse ; and to any person 
who is desirous to make his fortune in the States, if 
he would set his ingenuity to work and discover 
some compound which would rid the natives only of 
these troublesome attendants, he would eclipse the 
name and fame of George Washinoton, as a con- 



niii.Aiin.riiiA. rj,. 

ljueror luui l>enefactor of a hi^-her tyjn». ami liin !n«iu»- 
fiietioii wouhl receive the hij,'hei*t accliuin of the 
people, and his lal>ours woiiUl l»e atn-ptttl im innn- 
gtiml of the j^nvat oentfiinial |ni^i'unt which will be 
consunHnate«l in this city in lH7t». Everjihing in 
the Stateii is inafniiHetl into a wonder, or of a jn^nintic 
character, and when this is the case wo can affonl to 
admit it. Kven the little worhl. or the insect world, 
is a j^Teat world of it«Hi'lf. and I think on this |K»int. 
like many other AmericAns, nmst U»at all cn*ation. 
I am not goin^ to 8uhmit an entomological disserta- 
tion, hnt I will refer to one or two insects which 
must have attmcttKl the attention of ever}* one who 
is desirous of being consitleri'jl an ol»stT\-er of natiire 
in this part of the empire. Tlie t*dmcco worm and 
the walnut wonu are the two lar^gest, and are very 
striking as wonns, and as flies they resemble one 
another in various |>jirticulars. As a grub they are 
about four inclns long, and the prevailing col(»ur is a 
dear piUe gre<'n, with striiKiS of a deep gold colour, 
and ribljed with black. On the heatl of the walnut 
wonn are six or eight large bonis which give it rather 
a fonnidable ajifiearance, to a certain extent not un- 
like a lolister. and in this state it passes the first 
year of its exintenc*' ; an«l in the following year y<«ir 
attention is mon» diifctly attnict4«d to it, for it 
ap()can< as it flitw along near to HunM>t tpiite like a 
binl. and again its colours atv showy, an ' •• ' ■ l-Mtg 



126 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

antenna;, which are about six inches in length, where- 
by it sucks the nectar from the flowers, but its food 
are the leaves of the tomato, potato, or the tobacco 
plant. The minor insects are numerous beyond com- 
putation. One evening, while driving out in an open 
carriage, and passing under the branches of a tree 
which hung down very low, so that they were dis- 
turbed, there came such a shower of moths of all 
sorts that T felt inclined to jump out and leave them 
in possession; and the air was crowded here and 
there with shoals of them, enjoying the beams of the 
setting sun ; but these are a poor substitute for the 
warblers which we have at home, and which at night 
make the woods vocal with their melody, besides 
preventing the undesirable growth of those insects 
which infest all vegetable life. The few birds which 
they have are only short-stayed in any part of the 
country, and are continually on the wing; and it wiU 
be a long time before the sparrow will propagate 
sufficiently to overtake aU the work that is wanted 
to be done on the Continent of America. 

I have been induced to make these remarks about 
insect life on account of my interest in the mosquito. 
There is no fear of any one forgetting them who has 
had the close intercourse with them that I have had. 
It sometimes makes all the difference that can be in 
a traveller's experience the kind of position of the 
room he has allotted to him at an hotel. Strangers 



P1IILAI>KLI'IUA. I J 7 

don't know Um, auti in the busy »oajiou they mv not 
particular to inform 8tran^>crD to look out for thmo 
disturbers of the ])eace. By the way, I don't reniew- 
ber having seen any domestic |*eta in America. lMj», 
catii. and luirmtii are to be found in abundiuu-e at 
home, and any numl»er of bink ; but 1 can't remem- 
ber a solitar}' instance where I saw Uie one or the 
other during my stay there. Ye.s ! there was one in- 
stance, only one timt I can remember, and it was 
tlie only one and such a one I sliould not have for- 
gotten. It was a dog, iuiil its colour was a clear and 
dccidcii magenta, and I was tii^i posed to think tlua it 
was originally a white dog and hud been dyul ; and 
as the car that I was in passeil. it ran out from a shop 
barkiii^', and I couchuletl it \v i sort of ud- 

verlising medium; but it w.i startluig in 

its appearance on account of its colour, and its owner, 
I luive no doubt, thought it was a clever trick. TIm 
baby is the great domestic |iet in the States, aa it is 
here, but as thev are very dinicult to rear iht-ro it 
has a decidnl influence on their chjir:icter. ami wlul-it 
they are ver>' young they talk like a l>ook, and they 
are regarded as prodigies which can only Im {>ro- 
duced in ihat part of the world. Ilabies and parents 
are •••jiiully rliVtT, iuid the wivi« iii- md 

'cute lis ihe hu.'«l»and.'<, and to do :>y 

preci^lency on )>ehalf of the husliauti <>v 

would U- ont of till' c)iitvntii>ii niul >iii ..tt 



128 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

domestic felicity is rare and divorce is cheap and ex- 
ceedingly common; and many take the advantage of 
the legal facilities to begin life anew, not always to 
give manifestation of having improved by the change. 
Marriages are consummated at a very early age, and 
it is not considered necessary to have a house of one's 
own. Lodgings are always easily procured, and 
housekeeping is the exception, not the rule. Work- 
ing men are more migratory in their habits, and the 
distance they have often to remove is much greater 
than at home here, and this has an effect in sending 
them into lodgings rather than housekeeping. The 
genuine American working-man is a person of a dif- 
ferent type and character from what we have at 
home, and what is true of him is true of every one 
who labours in America. They all work hard, and 
the senseless and extreme short-time movement 
seems to get little or no countenance amongst them. 
Whether this is the effect of decided love of labour, 
or of a superior knowledge of political economy to 
what is evinced by labourers at home I don't know, 
but they seem to understand that by curtailing work- 
ing hours and doing nothing during that curtailed 
working time would so enhance their labour that the 
chances were to throw it out of the market and shift 
their labour to some other field where it could be 
more cheaply done, hence they produce more for the 
same amomit of money than is done at home here, 



rilILAl»KU'lllA. l-'» 

and if Uiey want to increase their income* they work 
harder or tliey work more time, aijd they tliereby 
show they undenitiuul the oiUy tiolid UtLHis on which 
to better their condition so for aa labour ia concerned. 
And what is true of tliem as hibourers is true of tljem 
as citizens; the general tyiw of the lal»ourer ha-s l>een 
moulded very much by tlie character of the men wlio 
have at various times emij^ted from other countrioe 
to the States, these being usually of a better class 
to those left in the mother countries, and the elVect** <»f 
this is obvious in tlicir genend character and tle|x»rt- 
ment. The working-man is a gentlemiui when off 
duty; his general attire bespeaks it *» far as his 
attire can do so, and those who wish it syllabled in 
stronger tenus or language are wont to do so by 
means of the incontmvertible evidence of jewel- 
ler}'. I saw one elal)orate s|»ecimen in Brooklyn, 
who, i)erlui]>s, might jiass muster in that {Nirt of 
the world, but for my {xirt I coulil not tee it He 
might have \yceu a ver>' go<xl tradesman or racchanic. 
but I consiilereil him a very InuI haml at {lerHomU 
•lecoration. Ilowi-ver. if they tlo not at all times suc- 
ceed in attiring thfmnelves tttstefuUy, they are idmost 
idways sure to lie clcoidy. and so far as I could m» 
one might go the rountl of the Stales and not mm io 
much tilth, s<|ualor, rags, and muter}', nor feel such 
vile and offensive »»«lours. as art* to U' Hct»n and fuJl 
in our passage along oui strwelM. There may 1»« 

K 



130 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

physical advantages or disadvantages on tliis or that 
side. There may be moral or social advantages or 
disadvantages on this or that side. I merely state 
the facts as I found them, and as I have heard done so 
by others who have been on both sides. If there is 
anything which is a source of pleasure or gratifica- 
tion to one on visiting the other side, it must be the 
general cleanliness of the people, which never fails to 
attract attention everywhere, and at all times it is 
noticeable, and strangers are always sure to observe 
it; and if it is the case at the time or season when 
strangers go abroad, we may naturally presume 
such is the case at other times of the year as well. 
Another feature one cannot fail to observe is the pre- 
valent practice of early rising. I am not disposed in 
the least to attribute this to the universal adoption 
of the maxims of their great philosopher Franklin. 
I rather think it is caused by a greater amount of 
vitality in the air than is possessed in Britain. It is 
said it is to get through business before the heat gets 
■too oppressive. Of course the shadows are deeper 
and longer in the morning, but the heat of the sun, 
according to my calculation, was as great at its first 
appearance as at any time of the day. I was dis- 
posed at times to think my watch had become slug- 
gish, the folks were so much in advance of our home 
customs. Between eight and nine in the morning 
great numbers of ladies were abroad for all purposes, 



PIIILIDELPIIU. y 1 31 

ni»t a nish out in srini tiishttlnlU, but fully attimi for 
tho day. Of courst' lireakftisting in \*aAi at au early 
hour, and dinner takes place at midday, but there, as 
borv, the nuniljcr who dine at home is limite<l. and 
especially so in hot weather. I was ver>' much 
struck by seeing the streetji uf Philatlelphia more 
than usually crfjwde<l by lailies on a Saturxlay 
afternoon, and bein^' curious to discover the kind 
of attraction which drew them all in a i>articular 
•lirection. I wits iijduce«l to follow the strejuu. and 
fountl them iMuirin;; into a lilt of white 

nmrbh', anil fn)nj various *; ••mMrms I 

saw on the front elevation I was sure it was a theatre, 
and a nuttiiut performance was about to Iw given for 
those who could not make it convenient to attend iu 
the cool of the evening,'; and I thou^'ht. like " IVping 
Tom," if the character of the entertainment was suit- 
able for ladies, it might be so for gentlemen also, and 
I tliought I might not get a chance of seeing a cor- 
i.-«IK>n<ling feature of American life elsewhere, so I 
ilit«'rmine«l to take' thf udviur rtunity. 

I <lid not learn wlu-lluT thi.s in- most 

fashionable house of the kiml in i\\v ciiy. but tho 
quality of tho audience indicated that they were well 
up in tho social scale, ajid I prv^ume tho houM 
would l)e reganb-l ' 'X'* that fdled 

ill lienches. I tn l.ut that w«a 

' yond the limits of the house, at least tiuU port 



132 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

where I was, and the ladies had possession of all 
the available space. However, as my business was 
chiefly to take notes, I was as well pleased, for it 
enabled me to look about. The assembly was quite 
a rare one. I had never seen such an imposing and 
attractive gathering. Here and there I could see a 
solitary gentleman, for in many instances where one 
was he was so thoroughly covered up with the light 
and airy habiliments of the fair sex that he was with 
difficulty seen at all, and this state of things rather 
interfered with me in getting anything like an accu- 
rate estimate of the proportion of the audience com- 
posed of gentlemen ; and after an effort or two I con- 
cluded there would be about five per cent., and they 
were all reckoned as belonging to good society. I 
had ascertained this before going in, and I made sure 
that the quality of the entertainment would be of the 
same kind, but I was somewhat startled to find it a 
sort of adaptation of "Jack Sheppard," with the names 
of the characters and the incidents slightly altered, 
and the whole merit of the piece lay in the voluble 
speeches and the sprightly acting of a young lady 
who played the part of the hero of the piece, and the 
scenes were all laid in the British metropolis. 

On a former occasion I alluded to the dead heroes 
of the late rebellion. They are out of sight of coui-se, 
but their memory is preserved in the way I men- 
tioned before by planting the national fiag over then- 



I'HIUUJIUJIIIA. 138 

graven ever)' year on " Deconition Day." But therw 
is one oUier class of heroes next in the list as re^'ards 
honour, for they carrj* the silent but uuetiuivocal 
token of their actions in the field of battle, and do 
not require to tell you they were there. I mean the 
cripple, and theiie. like the poor, they will always have 
\vitl» them for many years to come. .Six)iled for tiie 
labour they pursuetl before the war. they can only 
follow that form of laliour tliat can be made to fit their 
condition, as that cannot be fitted to ever)* kind of 
labour. (Ireat numlwrs are employed alwut the 
Ciovernment oflices in the capital and similar |)08i- 
tions in the hxT^a cities. 

This city has been selectetl for the j^rand display 
which will take place in 1870. the Centenial Celebra- 
tion of Iudei»endence, Possibly the suitableness of 
the countr)' around the city has intlucetl the commis- 
.sion to decide «)n IMuladelphia as the place for it, the 
country and facilities in and aroujid beinj? quite suited 
fi»r such an e.\|K)sition or po^'eant as will take pUoe 
on that occasion. Hotel keei»en» are turning their 
.iltenli«)n to the i.n).Hi»eclive and certain rwiuiaMueuU 
of tlie myrimls who will wend their way U> witnew 
this wonderful and startling event. All former 
etforta of Britain. France, and (Jermany are to be for 
ever and effecUvely eclii»He<l. A Htnictunt cummeo- 
.Hurole with the mw luid character «jf thtr claims of 
the continent and i-.,i,li. will be built. tJie whole 



134 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

force and array of inventive genius and national 
talents will be convoked; the productions of other 
countries will be accepted, but only to show the sur- 
passing and significant advance made by the New 
World on the creations of the inventive art of the 
Old. The attractions are to draw by their superior 
influence the Laplander, the New Zealander, the 
Japanese, the Eussian, and invest them with the 
genuine spirit of enterprise and progress. And the 
high and accepted representative embodiments of 
learning, culture, and refinement from the polished 
and advanced portions of the world; to show them 
how dim, obscure, crude, and undefined all their pre- 
vious study and labours have been, compared with 
the dazzling array of art treasures which will occupy 
this new and stupendous Temple of Art, which will 
in three years hence adorn the ample and level 
grounds in the suburbs of Philadelphia. 



II A i* i h li A I 



EN ROUTE FOR NIAGARA. 

As the winged insect, which had revelled luiiidtft a 
profusion ofgiiy nud luxuriant tlowerB. tunih it.s back 
upon them iiftcr having extracted fnuu their fulness 
a load uf honeyeil weidlh, so doe.s the tniveUer on 
the scenes wltich were ut lirst fruitful with interest 
and full with all the freshness of novelty and attrac- 
tion, leaving thein to others who will come and find 
them ajj fragrant, ple;u«ing, and iu^pirLu^ us if they 
had never tttfonleil the same enj'- -'himv who 

prcce*le<l them. When <ince in li. .«• travel- 

ler is never at a loss to tind scenes IwUi very start- 
ling anil attractive ; but the question iuterjKiscs it«elf, 
whetlier these scones are et^ual to the n*|K»rtH one 
hears of them in Britain; and t: • ans o;io 

lias of a^iertiuning the fact and ' ')>«• luUo 

of curiohily which shn»uds him i.H to go and get the 
ocular proof and satisfy himself. Tliis in by no 
means easily done, on account of tjic magnitude of 
the country, but no laUiur i** gnulge«l wlun once 
you are thi>n»u;,'hly inflat4'«l with tli- . uri'^-ity I have 
refem-d to. The nuwt woui for 



re|M.rt .'. 



r.' tin--,4' Will 



136 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

the confines of the United States, and divide them 
from British North America, along with the chain of 
lakes and rivers connected with them. And one 
almost instinctively turns in that direction, expect- 
ing to find what will repay him for his trouble and 
expense. The road from Philadelphia to Niagara is 
rather a long one, being nearly equal to a run from 
Land's-end to John o'Groats ; but as there is much 
of interest by the road to one who has travelled it 
for the first time, he does not feel it to be an under- 
taking of such a formidable character, and as the 
route of the railway by this line is considered to be 
rather attractive, the journey is rather a pleasant one. 
Of course one cannot make the whole run during 
the day, but what one sees from morning to night is 
strikingly different from what is to be seen on any 
other line in this country. If one could always 
manage to pursue his journey by daylight his plea- 
sure and store of knowledge would be considerably 
enhanced, but that is not always possible where there 
is much to do and little time to do it in. If there 
are other routes as interesting as the one by which I 
went, I can only console myself by the reflection that 
I could only travel by one at a time, and that it was 
the best to my liking. The train, on leaving Phila- 
delphia, proceeds by the Lehigh, the Susquehanna, 
and the Wyoming Valleys, affording a relishable 
admixture of the various phases of nature in her 



EN kOlTE P»»K XiAti.VRA. 



primeval beauty and wildness. the jpTindeur and 
eloquence of her visible attributes, and the external 
bulky and material evidences of her Iwunty in the 
trea-sures which we see as we |>nx'eetl »)n throujih the 
district of Pemisylvania ; for we are not lon^ on our 
travels till we meet trains of wagons of great length 
with coal, iron, lime, cement, and petroleum, and 
there are thousands of hands extracting' these rough 
and ni^'eil materials fn^m the mountain and the 
mine, and by the alchemy of lal»our transmuting 
tliem into the golden treasure, the reward of industry. 
In a run of so many miles there must of course be 
a very great numln-r of places, but it is only a limited 
numl)er which is w.)rthy of lieing noticed. A small 
village comjiosed of wiKnleu huts on a comiwnitively 
level district is not of sutticient interest to attract 
one. especially when ever)' minute you expect to see 
s<.me imiK.sing sight which is caUulatetl to take 
away your brtuth. and sink evcr>thing else into the 
obscurity of neglect. Tlie first place which is calcu- 
hitetl to claim a i«wsing thought froni oiu- is the U)wn 
«.f Betldehera. It is not of any extent, looks scat- 
tered, and has all the rough and undnnwetl apfiear- 
ance of a phu;«« which has lieen hurriwlly callt-d into 
• xistonce. and will U' H.'t to rights when one*- the in- 
habitants will gi-t time to do «». Hut evrrywherw 
there is a prvas of busine*w, and gnmt activUy is 
oljser\'able. Tlie canals !tr>- .r..v..l...l wtb tind*r. 



138 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

and running over with the full stream which is con- 
tinually rushing through the Lehigh Valley. Gigantic 
piles of wood — or lumber as they call it — are crowd- 
ing all the available spaces, and look like so many 
huts. The houses are chiefly of wood, the plaster on 
the inside walls being the only incombustible mate- 
rial about them. Numerous mills and workshops 
are to be seen, and numbers of commercial men are 
leaving the train to prosecute their callings; and 
tliere are those who are in quest of the change the 
highlands afford, for the train keeps going uphill 
during its whole course — not hurriedly, but still 
going up. The course is uniformly along the margin 
of the stream, and many curiously wnld and romantic 
scenes are passed. The river at some of the moun- 
tain gorges is narrow, and rocks, trees, and remnants 
of the ravages of storms are lying wedged and huddled 
together in an inextricable heap, but at the same time 
truly picturesque. The mountains at some of the 
points rise to a considerable height, and are copiously 
wooded; and the canals are well filled with loose 
timber for cutting at the manufactories, or for send- 
ing down intact to the market. Trains of immense 
length are seen coming from the carbon countr}', 
running along the opposite bank of the river, on their 
way to the large cities. After we have run for a 
considerable time we arrive at a place which is of a 
strikinu' character. It is ensconced in a beautiful 



EN ROITB POR KUGARA. 139 

oonier of creation, nestliug aiuoiig richly wooded 
hills, aud i.s only soeu a si>cond or two LRrforu thu carv 
dash into it V>y an ncuto cune in tin* line. It hoit 
ail Indian name, not at all musical to Britiah ears, but 
we can overltjok that if we are allowed to enjoy the 
U'aiities which sumnind the cajtitol of thu carlxiu 
couutr)- of Miuah Chunk ; for thu Aniericun.s tall it 
the Switzurliind of America. Tliu |wrt of it whicli is 
seen from tlie rail gives strong evidence of Iteing 
inhabiteil by enter|>rising and tasteful {XK){)le. The 
villas arc chiefly com|»ose<l of brick, and in a conspi- 
cuous place is seen the ri'sitlunce of one «»f tin* carbon 
kings, the Hon. Asu Packer, surroundetl by tinuly 
in wo^xhil enclosures, aiul tastefully arrangeil gniunds 
floral devices, and groups of statuar)'. Tliere aro 
others of a similar description. Tlie general sur- 
roundings and the country are ttii nictive, 
but thf chi«f cif its attractions foi it* U»e 
exciting ride over the Swilchlwick The nulway riset 
on its run up the hill to between 600 and TOO feet, 
on a plane of over 2000 feet, Ijeing alxtut one foot in 
three, and tlien you stand on the top of Mount 
risgoh. It is said there is no C4iuse for fear or 
timidity in making the ascent, but for my own (lort 
I hrnl as lief go up with I'rofoasor Wyse. It is said 
the sight fmui this height is the finest in America. 
and the run along the highlands, when ome up. is 
unsuquLHsed for variety of t^vuvry, it« extent being 



140 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

some eighteen miles, and all worked by stationary 
engines, which make the ride most steady and pleasant 
to the tourist. Very many frequent this attractive 
spot in the fine time of the year, and you can see 
villas spotting the hill sides, looking out from among 
the varied-coloured trees which surround them on all 
sides. Shortly after leaving this station a person 
from one of the hotels at a station some distance in 
the direction in which we are going joins the cars, 
with the view of ascertaining how many are likely to 
dine at the hotel, and at the next station he tele- 
graphs forward, and when we arrive at Whitehaven 
we get 20 minutes for dinner, but no time to look 
about ; but we cannot fail to notice that there is 
much stir and activity in every line connected with 
the timber and its branch trades. In some of these 
places, remote from large commercial centres, wood is 
cut and formed and adapted for building purposes, 
and has only to be fixed when it comes into the car- 
penter's hands ; for nearly all the houses in the places 
which have grown up in the forests are built of wood, 
the only other material about them being the iron of 
the stove and pipes, and the plaster when the inner 
walls are furnished in that manner. When dinner is 
completed we start off again, and the next spot of 
note or interest is gained when we reach the summit 
of the hill or mountain which overlooks the valley of 
fair Wyoming. One can scarcely take in the extent 



EN iiotTK Foil nia(;ai:a. 141 

of landscape which is spreiul liofore him at this |)oint, 
neither would it be possible to see it, were it not for 
the facilities aflfonled by the position of the railway. 
We have clinil»e<I up on our roursr several hundriHl 
feet, and the train |>nsses just at the up|)er en«l of the 
valley; and as it takes some time to paas this {mint, 
one has ample time to see the whole wide-spread pano- 
rama before him. The interest, too, is enhanced at 
this |)oint l)y the character of the countrk* thnui^'h 
which the cars |mss. For some time l>ef<irL' we 
come to the spot at which we can see this magni- 
ficent scener}'. the train runs throuj»h a wood of con- 
siderable depth, and now and a^in a glim|)tM3 of the 
intonninable and undulating' forests is got on one 
side, with s<"arc»'ly a break or o{>ening so far as the 
eye can grasp the s|>ace. Hills rise over hills. cla»l 
in thick and .H«>lid array of leafy scenerj-, only hen^ 
and there a thin {tale strtMik of smoke, indicating the 
nhode of some sfpuitter, new s«?ttler, or anchorite 
seeking the (juiet and n«i»os<> the busy city denies; 
an<l all at once, when one thinks he is lost in a sea 
of forests, the amphitheatre of unsur|>a>i.H4'd inagnifi- 
rence is seen to o[ien up. bristling witli )>eauty and 
interest On the hill-sides are soen the rich vonlaiit 
sylvan retreats, with their silver stn^ams rippling and 
winiling on their courses to join the centnil nver. 
which is seen to widen as it pursuf/« it* tortuous 
courHi- in the ilin'ction of the sea. The distanct* souu 



142 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

from tliis point must be over twenty miles down the 
valley, and about four or five across ; and every spot 
looked to be carefully cultured. Towns and villages 
could be noticed on either side of the stream, which 
flows through the centre and the farm steadings, 
in the midst of compact and cultivated fields. Flocks 
and herds were browsing and reposing beneath the 
shadows of wide-spreading trees. Cottages were 
fretted and garnished with trails of Indian roses, like 
Gertrude's of old; and the spires of the village 
churches could be seen peering up through some 
consecrated spots. Nearly all the land rising towards 
the hill top is clothed with a profusion of groves, and 
the whole land, so far as one can see and judge, must 
have undergone careful cultivation, and for a longer 
period than any land that is seen for miles around. 
Looking at this place one can understand how reluc- 
tant the Indian would be to allo\v the paleface to 
take possession of this lovely spot, and the reason for 
the deadly strife which was waged between them for 
a long period before it was relinquished. As we pass 
along, the train seems to take to a certain extent the 
circle of the top of the valley, and there are openings 
in the woods and groves through which you can see 
the full extent of the valley from the various points 
or positions, making this sight one of the most varied, 
enchanting, and lovely which can be seen anywhere. 
A feeling steals over you as you leave this interest- 



EX BOITE POH XIAOAKA. 143 

ing Spit that you would like to roam over it« fair 
fields, filled with a profusion of Nature's bounties, and 
inhale the fresh odours from fragrant meadows, and 
hear the soft cadence of the streams its they meander 
thn.»«igh the rith and fertile sIojh's, or wander among 
the ruins of the forts and defences, and riMid their 
past action, or the part they played in the scenes of 
strife in its early histor}- ; but we are only i»enuitted 
to do so in fancy, as we are hurried jMist to view 
other scenes which have not the soft drai»er}' n( cul- 
ture to adorn them, but the IkjIiI, broad ami majestic 
forms and lH>autiea of primeval Nature. We have 
passed the falls over which the stream finds it« way 
into t!i<' classic valley of Wyoming, and scour along 
the I'.iiiks of the Su84iuehanna, wlii jtointj) 

bn»atl«nH into a sea, ami at other is rush 

with imjjetuosity by some confined and nam>w canon, 
until it finds some broad Iwink. when its silent cur- 
rent is rrgained. For luindre<ls of miles we accoro- 
j>ai»y thin river in '" ugh its valley, by 

bush and Ixmk, by ir, over bridge and 

gtilly. Villages and cities are gainc<l and again 
recede, some with classic names, othent reminding 
one of tbo.HO who arc now driven into tlie remoter 
p;.r ■ ■ - - . ■ . ;.,. 

cu; lo 

•ii>'itiii;^' of the iron hone with iIh gnm and ghostly 

.,.».,. 11,. ..,.,. .wl.. «.. •. .. . O... V i1.. ..f Vv.H-n atid 



144 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

Montrose on the other; Eome lies hidden by inter- 
vening hills and wood, and as the shades of night are 
about to clothe all nature in her sober livery, we 
reach the city of Athens, and we instinctively look 
about for any feature which was likely to form an in- 
gredient in what induced those who named this place 
after the capital of Greece to do so ; but we fail to dis- 
cover any one of any kind in common with those 
gleaned from historic sources. On an extended 
plain, neither flanked nor backed with those gigantic 
forms of nature which inspire man to heroic deeds 
and aspirations for glory and immortal fame, it lies 
partially concealed. By the mean range of buildings 
in the main street there are no indications that any 
of the citizens have risen to opulence and ease. 
There are no chateaux on the confines of the place, 
no picturesque villas with dressed and cultured 
grounds and shady retreats, no well trimmed and 
regular fenced desmesnes; but the same features pre- 
vail which are common to all the newly formed 
places, where all these external trapping, adornments, 
and decorations are left till the more important and 
necessary works are efficiently done, and there is 
a raw and universal look of discomfort about the 
suburbs of these now places. The sun is set, and aU 
the interest which daylight provides for the tourist is 
also set. There is no twilight, and the sober even- 
ing melts into darkness before you have time to see 



KX ROITK FOB .VUGARA. 145 

*ny object under its influence. Tlie lnnii« are 
lil^htetl. and the cnn thunder tUong in tlio dark. 
Nuiuurous small villages ar« passed, and Klniira is 
ivached ; another long nin, and we come to Huflalo, 
on the confines of Like Erie ; an«l after changing' we 
have a brief run along the lianks <»f the Xiagara 
Kiver for a few iuile.s, and the Falls are reached after 
a drive of about 18 hours. The night is clear, 
the stars arc bright and sparkling, and the moon ia 
beginning to throw a melancholy light over the sur- 
nmmling gloom. Tliough it is one o'clock in the 
morning there an? six or seven 'busses waiting to 
convey the jMissengers to the hotels tiiey represent, 
and tlie characteristic energy and volubility of their 
drivers are pnifusely u.sed to convince yttu how close 
this or that hotel is to the Falls ; but an there is 
always .some one at hand to keep you right. an<I as 
there is an imjMjssibility of selecting more than one, 
I selected that one. and getting in, I arrived at a pri- 
vate hotel. After getting a glass of the best south- 
side Madeira, I ascended to my rh>imhr< a rmuhrr 
with my bmin fiUetl with a confusinl and intmnin- 
able amiy of eights and objects I had seen on the 
way to this up{x;r storey of the American continent 
I openinl my wimlow to see if anything could lie seen 
of the mighty flootl. but various objiHtn Ixirred the 
way, an«l nothing could ' 
bolitar)' tree with its fol; 

L 



146 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

rays of the rising moon; but all the air was filled 
with a soft hissing sound coming from the restless, 
seething, foaming, boiling waters which were pouring 
over the Falls of Niagara. 



C H A r T K l: XII 



TOE FALLS OP XIAUAIU. 

The sun'g rising hatl prece<led mino by several hours, 
luul when I j»ot up ami l(x»k(Ml out c.f my win<low I 
found hill, house. an<l hninlet. lake, hivrw. and land- 
scape, gilded by his wannth and life-inspirinfj lijjhf 
Tlie air was litjht and ela.stic. and wa-s filled with the 
sauip volume of sound which hushed lUl amund to 
.sleep the nij^ht lieforo. Rut now all wa« life, bufttle, 
and activity. To one who lias dreamt of this jjreat 
sight for half a lifetime, and who knows he is nlMut 
to reali.sc it, the sensation is strange Ivyond d- 
tion. To l)e at the Falls with the knowledge of 
them in a few weojuln is like to take awny v..ur 
breath. You cannot help tliinkin^;; what is common 
to all — this is the greatest sight in the worhl ; and 
now you have only to .step aside and see it. You 
cannot forget your |K>»ition in this n-sport, for were 
you to defer doing so. the sound. lik«« the fajuMimting 
eye of the Cobra, woidcl draw you to the »j»ot To 
appn>nch them from the Ameriejin side is iinpfMuibh*. 
for every available s|)ot where the sight is worth a 
cent is utilixcd, and you are oomp«dled to seek the 
bridge and jmias to the Canadian side linforo yon cnn 



148 THE STATES AND CANADA, 

see the world-famed cascade to advantage ; and it is 
evidently the most natural spot for this on Table 
Eock. The whole picture lies before, you, and every 
spot along the picture can be explored with the eye, 
and the sight is one which for grandeur and magnifi- 
cence places it beyond the power of any one to 
describe ; and many, under the consciousness of this 
feebleness of language to convey the idea of it to 
others, have been guilty of every absurdity in rela- 
tion to height and other features connected with this 
great avalanche of water. 

There is much in the way or manner you see a 
sight for the first time. Many are disappointed 
on looking at the Falls for the first time; and I 
think that arises from the fact that the water falls 
from the level on which the spectator stands down 
into a gully, glen, or canon, and the sides of the river 
rise up to your platform, almost perpenicular to that 
height, and on that account one feels disposed rather to 
lessen their magnitude than increase it. And on this 
principle one is astonished to hear of the exaggerated 
accounts from those who first saw and described 
them. The Jesuit father Hennepin called them 600 
feet, Baron La Houten 700 or 800 feet, and Charle- 
voix 140 feet; but as in the earlier accounts the lan- 
guage is feeble and infantile, they tend, as I said 
before, to remedy the defect by increasing their mag- 
nitude. There are many points from which the 



THE PALLS OP NIAGARA. UU 

visitor cnn conteiiijjlate iUemc wonderful tnrrenU), but 
to i*et a just conception of their lua^injituile and 
power tlie Iwnk of the streaju l^elow i^ certainly the 
best ; and this is advocated by those who are most 
interi'stetl in the enteri>ri»e, and no ar^auuent is 
wanting; to incline you to see the mysterieH of this 
marNcl frrun the lower level. You uduiin* the disin- 
terestednens of these [leople. and Ix-lievinjj by the 
descent you are likely to add materially to your 
stock of knowled«,'e, y«>u allow yourself to bt* melted 
into ac<|uiescenre, and you submit to the necessary 
metamorphosis, and leavinj; your outwanl crust in a 
comer, you sally forward luil»ilitated, defyinjj every 
attempt at recognition by the nearest and dearest on 
earth. There are few who have not seen some phase 
of a .seaman's lif** in a storm — the an^'T)* surp- of the 
floo<l and the sweeping; showers of spray hurled 
against him with f«)rce and fre<iuency. rwiuinuK' him 
to be incase<l in his glossy sable^ to resist tlieir fury 
and defy their |K>wer. Suppose for a moment you 
see such a fi^nire as I have descriUMl moving f<»ru*ttrd 
towanU the Umk "f the Niapira on a fine Huuj^hiny 
day. Xumeous pb-jisun' |¥irties an* movin;; aUmt, 
cars and carriages are fill»'<l with piy and jubilant 
crowds, and foot pasmjngers are numerous by the 
way you jwiss, but no one takes n<itice of you. Hun- 
dre<ls of sou'-westers and ru.Htlinj^ od'^kinn have 
jiAAHed that way U-fore, and the (Military dark figure 



150 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

is allowed to pass and go down into the depths of 
the river and drown himself if he is disposed to do 
so. The descent is made by a spiral staircase, and 
you go down, down, and round, round, until you 
arrive at a bank of huge fragments of rock which 
have been detached from the mighty overhanging 
mass overhead. By this time you have forgotten all 
about the fine weather above, and you are now under 
the shadow of a great rock in a strange land. Fear 
comes upon you like an armed man, but you are com- 
forted by the fellow at your elbow, who very likely 
tells you the rocks only come down in the winter 
time. You breathe a little freer, for it is some 
months to that time, and you hope to be four 
thousand miles off if you survive the present awful 
adventure; but still we are coming nearer the hor- 
rible watery abyss in front, and he opens his mouth 
to say something to you, and you are fain to put the 
words into his moutt, " Will you go back ? " but no, 
" Take care of your feet." Heaven and earth ! where 
is the fellow going? for he is now in front. Signs 
are substituted for words, for the thunder is rag- 
ing over us, and the whirlwind is like to deprive 
us of the little breath remaining, and the spray is 
pelting and lashing over and around us. And now 
we stand behind a detached fall and look out on the 
scene before us. The whole is basking in light, and 
looks like sculptor work in white marble. The floods 



TUK FALLS OV MAOAKA. 151 

as they roll uver aud take their luad leap into the 
seelluDg aud builiug chaldron below arv white* ; the 
river as it rages and rushes through il4 couiiued 
diamiel is of milky wititeiioss, aud wu fancy every- 
thing IS still without, autl that the thund*'r and storm 
have followed us mlo the chasm before us. Our stay 
is brief, and we are thankful when we get the right- 
about-face. We clamber over llie rocky lied, tod 
take a philosophical aud geological gUmpse at the 
perpKjudicular wall on our left as we i>ass along; but 
we do not feel disposed to make our uualysis a very 
elaborate or protracted one, lest our acquaintance ba 
one of a striking character, ami we huny our investi- 
gation of Uie stratiOed calcareous materials, luid are 
not particular to ascertain to what peri<Hi they be- 
longed. And after luiving tasted the sulphurous 
spnng-water issuing from the n>ck, we dc*em it 
advisable to Uee from where dangers are so nfe. and 
where there are any mxmediate or remote cliances of 
getting into the angry jaws of the flood below. We 
gain the focjt of the ladder, and licru we can safely, 
and with pleasure, cast our eyes about. It is only a 
new phase of the scene, but ever)- new point shows 
features attractive and grund, and tJiis is a feature 
which is jxjculiar to the Falls. Thice your^telf on 
the hundred diflerent poinU from whence a view is 
got, and you will tiiid a si>ecial inlervst in them all. 
Kmm tills riL'lii «.|.jk.mio. in tlie Ami-ncaji Fall, and 



152 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

it extends away to the left down in the direction in 
which the river Niagara flows for about a quarter of 
a mile; and the height is 164 feet, but the great 
breadth of it has the effect of lessening the height in 
appearance. At the lower end of it, a few yards 
apart, there is a small Fall, and it is called the Bridal 
Veil. It is a considerable sheet, and its fall is similar 
in height to the great Fall alongside. On the right 
of the American Fall is the Goat Island, and this 
island divides the two Falls. The island is about 
seventy acres in extent, and it is a very pleasant 
ramble by its shady lanes, among its birch, beech, 
oak, firs, and cedars. The portion of this island 
which intervenes between the Falls is small, and 
hence their continuity is little interfered with, mak- 
ing them appear as one. Then to the right the 
Canadian or Horse-Shoe Fall begins, and makes a 
circle of about half a mile, or double that of the 
the American Fall, and comes round to the point 
where we look from. But in looking at this great 
phenomenon from any solitary point, no just or accu- 
rate estimate of the quantity of water which falls 
from these rocks can be obtained; but if we were to 
trace the source whence the floods are derived, it 
might help us in the absence of facts arithmetically 
obtained. In the interior, and above this point, are 
six immense fresh-water lakes, and they are all 
united by rivers running from one into the other, 



THE FALLS OK NIAOAKA. l':* 

thus fonuing a chain of lakes. There ore Lakvs 
Michi^'au, Superior. Hunm, Erie, St Clair, and 
Simcoe. The hitter two are small coni{tartHl with 
the four former, some of which take several «lay« to 
cross. U'ing four or five hundnnl mile* at some 
points, anil from these the surplus water runs down 
the St. Lawrence, which virtually begins at the lower 
end of Uike Erie, running down the Niaf^iira into 
I^ke Ontario, and thence by way of Moiitn'al and 
Quel)ec to the Atlantic Ocean. After having thus 
cursorily glanceti at the sources frtun whence this 
flootl is supplied, we can easily see the quantity to 
be ver)' great, and some scientific men have attempted 
to reduce it to figures, ami from the fact that some 
two or more have agreeil in their results so fur. we 
may accept it as a fair appn»ximation to the truth. 
I will only j^ive one short example, by a prc)fessor of 
an Aiucrican colK«ge. who stiites the f|uantity which 
passes over thes*^ Falls in the mintite to Ih« tino«Mi 
hunilrwl mill fcf't; btit this in «»nly aimther 

proof of the 1' t human lanj'tiagf to fxprBiMi, 

or <»f the human mind to conceive, grasp, or rvalixe 
anything of that kind in relation to this wond«irful 
work of nature. Then? in ntill another example, 
showing the magnitude of the mass of water which 
finds its way by thi.^ river to the <K-i»an. On one 
occasion a vessel wii« chartere<l — we hIiuII nay — for 

thi" ^■■■» ""■' ♦'"• • r-KK vi.i- I ..IIII..I..-.I of n ln^nr 



154 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

deer, buffalo, fox, and various other animals, and she 
was sent over the Falls. She drew 18 feet, and she 
passed over the Horse-Shoe Falls into the abyss 
below, proving the water on the shelf of the rock to 
be about 20 feet; and at that point the water is seen 
to be of a clear green colour, showing it to be an 
immense depth. The fall of such a body of water from 
such a height is sure to produce a variety of phenomena. 
At one time I noticed a column of spray just like a 
cloud, several hundred feet high, and the effect of 
the light of the sun by day and the moon by night 
on this body of vapour is curious, and grand at times ; 
but this phenomena depends on the state of the 
atmosphere. Sometimes there is nothing worthy of 
notice there to characterise it from any other water- 
fall. 

The river Niagara, from where it begins at the 
bottom of Lake Erie to the Falls, is about 22 miles, 
and from the FaUs to Lake Ontario it is about 14, in 
all 36 miles. In that distance the Continent sub- 
sides between three and four hundred feet, the 
middle leap downward being over the Falls ; and 
onward it rushes through the chasm, gully, or canon 
of 14 miles with stern and terrible velocity, tearing 
everything away which would dare check its progress 
to Lake Ontario. This gully along the whole pas- 
sage is strikingly wild, romantic, and singularly 
grand, rising at a few points some 300 feet almost 



THE FALLS i»K NLu;aKA- 155 

straight up fruui the flood below, iu stony Mhelvus 
profusely fumijihttl with n variety of ixven, bhrubs. 
aiid othur vegetation, the varied culuurs of which are 
fitly rvheved by the grey, ribbed, and irregular kIouu- 
work liclow. There are several plucea where rapids 
are t>eeu, but notliiug like the rapid in tlub {Kirtiou of 
the river can be seen anywhere. There is one rapid 
which IS &o grand in this river, some two miles or so 
from tlie Falls, that tlie Yankee has utilised it and 
made it private property, and tourista are entertained 
to tJie sight at the charge of a shilluig v-5 cents) a 
he>id. This is called the whirl{HXjl rapids, and here 
the water courses with such nipidity tliat you would 
suppose there was a lock in the way, for the water 
rises by its own force some 8 or U feet, making a 
splash as it were sent up by a torpedo. 

There is an amusing little episoile connectetl with 
this rapid. At one time a little steamer uschI to run 
on the river between the American side and Canada. 
She wan called tlie Maid of the Mist, and her owner 
getting into ditlicidties on account of a boml whicli 
was over her. and legal pniceedings ihreateiied. he 
detenuined to run the rapid, to stay procceiliugs by 
getting into ilnliah water. tver>'body thought such 
an act im(x>»-'>ible, as no vessel was ever known to 
piUM <lown the nver ; but the nkippiT resolved and 
a< ooiuplisheil this tembh* task with the loss tif hw 
liimul niilv His laun-l.-i w«rv ft«fn ever after U, 



156 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

and he is spoken of with much animation, and as 
much admiration for his courage. 

This varied spot has induced much speculation in 
a geological point of interest, and no person can visit 
it without being struck with the character of the 
scenes. The upper river pursues its course through 
an open and ample plain, and at some parts is miles 
in breadth; but down at this rapid a person was 
known to throw a stone from one empire into the 
other, and nearly everywhere the sides rise from two 
to three hundred feet above the bed of the stream, 
marking it with a decidedly different character to 
that above the Falls. And it is thought that the 
river in its impetuous march and violent ebulitions 
has sapped and scoured the rocks from their beds, 
forming a deep chasm on the same level as the bed 
of Lake Ontario, and by doing so has called into exis- 
tence the rich and romantic grandeur, and the endless 
phenomena which is everywhere seen in and around 
the Falls. Above the Falls the great rapids are the 
distinguishing feature. From the mouth of the 
Chippewa river the bed of the Niagara begins to slope 
towards the Falls, and the water receives a correspond- 
ing momentum, which increases until they make their 
final leap ; and this declivity has been taken advantage 
of, and several mills and public works are set down 
by the side of the river for the water power. The 
fall, descent, or slope of the land in the distance 



THE KAIXS OF M.UiAK-V. 157 

specified '\» some 50 feet, oiid by the time tiie watem 
near the catanict their impetuosity iA something 
fearful. Iktntin^ is uot safe within two miles, where 
the smcHjth surfiice of the stnuiiu U'^^ins tu ripple aiul 
j,'oes on incTL-iisin«; its iiu|»etus. until it is la-shetl into 
lurj* anil nnirs like a sea in a hurricane. The breadth 
of the .stream immetliately acros» the up|)er end of 
Goat Island must l)c over u mile, and a considerable 
bay is fonued on the Caimdian shore, rounti which 
the water turns with a swwip. at tinies U-anng down 
all op|K>sition. The mills referretl to are on the 
American side and have their connection with tiie 
town of Niagara. Besides (ioat Island there are 
several snuUl islands, callcl I lath, Luna, luid the 
Tliree SLstors. On liath Island there is a jiii|n'r mill, 
where the \M\niT for the Acir Vurk rri7>Mw/ n»'wspaper 
is man u fact ure«l. All thes*- islands are connected by 
bridges from Niagara side, and nrv iMtsHcsAcil by enter- 
prising Yankees, who are Unit upon e.\tnicting tliu 
full vuluf for till? sightjt which ju' " " . the 

lacilitus alVonlwl by them. I ui< that 

ever)' s|>ot where a view can be obt^iineii o| tin* FalU 
on the L'nite<l St^ites aide is Udtvil, liarreil. and her- 
metically staled, except to the open sesame of centa 
and dollars; but this is just carrying out a pracUce 
which IS exi»eru*nct?«l by nil >lrang«rH in tb«' Stnt4)», 
though it IS here mon? soriou^ly f^lut nut 

of thu opiKif^iti* pnutico pursuitl on ti uU- 



158 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

where one can roam from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie 
without hindrance, and enjoy all that is worthy being 
seen or enjoyed. On this side of the river is the 
village of Clifton, just by the Falls on the Canadian 
side as the town of Niagara is on the American bank, 
and the communication between is effected by means 
of the new suspension bridge, a modern and very 
graceful structure in iron, which spans the river at a 
spot twelve hundred feet across ; from pier to pier it 
is nearly thirteen hundred feet, and is a hundred and 
ninety feet above the water surface, and well-nigh four 
hundred feet above the bed of the river, as its depth 
here is about one hundred and eighty feet. This 
bridge is exceedingly worthy of all that has been said 
about it. It is a fairy-looking piece of work — light, 
airy, and quite in keeping with the place and all its 
accessories; and one feature in connection with its 
construction is worthy of notice. The span is very 
great, and to relieve it from the pressure occasioned 
by storms or otherwise a great number of stays, of 
every degree of strength, are fixed between it and the 
banks of the river. These stays are forty-eight in 
number, and their weight fifteen tons. There are also 
a great number of guys, about or over fifty, giving the 
whole work a most intricate and unique appearance. 
The towers at the piers are one hundred feet high, and 
from the cables which support the bridge are some 
five hundred suspenders, giving the roadway the 



THE PALLS OP KIAOARA- 159 

appearance of n Innp and ninpiificent cage. Lipht 
carrift^'es are ullowtHi to pa«s over but not to hnlt on 
the hridpe. The chaii}je in temperatun? from winter's 
cold to 8umm*»r*8 heat produces a diflerence of three 
feet in the hei;,'ht of the bridjje by exjvinsion and 
contraction of the metal. 

The old bridge is some distance further down the 
river, nnd much which has lieen said of the new one 
is true of the old. The span is not so preat, and 
strenjjth more than eltynnce was nime<l at in it.H con- 
struction. It is u.se<l for a <louble purix^***** Over it 
the New York Central Hailway forms a connertion 
with the fireat Wi'steni. and then» is a nwdway 
underneath the railway. The cables are twice the 
strenj^h of those on the new bri<lj^'e. and the towers 
are about thirty feet less in height. Tlie liridges are 
of course in charge of jvrsons who chargi' the traveller 
who rides or jwssoson foot, and here also we have the 
Custom-house officer of the "Bald Ea^^le." It seems 
to matter little or nothing what you may buy in the 
States and take across, no one challenges y<Mi by the 
way. You are not subject to any Stat«> stirv»'illance 
on the British siilc; you can \ww fretdy Hut on 
coming into the States the Custoni-honse oflWinN must 
know the amount of )our purchiuM»« on th»' British 
frontier, and have his fee n// ntlnrtm in the interest 
of the "stars and stripes." Tlie protection of the 
rade of the United States seems to n><|uirv a ulerpleAS 



160 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

and unremitting- vigilance; for at any time, at every 
stage, on the frontier, the eye of the "eagle" must 
penetrate the inmost recesses of your baggage for the 
detection of contraband. To tourists it is an unsuffer- 
able nuisance, and at times you feel in a temper to be 
uncivil, and you are disposed to consider the treatment 
you undergo on the States territory as the result of 
a universal and well concerted conspiracy to treat 
every foreigner as a spy, undeserving either sympathy 
or the generous recognition which a stranger ought to 
receive on the part of those among whom he sojourns 
for a time. But as every one undergoes a successive 
process of fleecing before he gets this length, he does 
not expect an exceptional kind of treatment when he 
sojourns at the Falls of Niagara, 

To a person whose proclivities or tendencies are of 
a scientific character much may be found at the Falls 
to interest him, for a person is very apt to ask. How 
is this ? what is the cause of that ? and, in the absence 
of a sufficiently qualified instructor, to aim at the 
solution of the difficulty at once, and on the spot. 
There are many natural phenomena which may be 
explained, and there are others which are certainly 
above explanation, but we cannot call them super- 
natural, but rather speculative; and if we are not 
fortunate in getting them solved, we do no harm in 
leaving them that some one may enrich his character 
l.)y giving evidence of very high attainments by doing 



THE FAIXfi or KUGAIU. 161 

in the future what haa not l»oen done up to th« {imk'nt 
There un» inajiy curious statementa mlvan 
of which you can have no means at hand ; <• 

or confinu. This j^reat sight must m?cv.-»sjinly have 
it^ greatness and sublimity enhanced by weaving round 
it a network of fabulous and refined romance, which 
is calculated to please fur the brief space of time 
foreigners are held un«ler iUs influence. 

We are stnuk by the wild whirl and incessant 
storm and fur}' which rages on the upper rapiils for a 
mile or so before the water reaches the Falls. If a 
storm of wind were raging we could gaze on it and 
consider that there was an api»arent cause f«)r the 
elfect which was jMissing Iwfore our eyes; but wjuai all 
is silent, and nature, so far as the eye can see, is 
wrapt in Uie deepest repose, the impression is strange 
and unaccountable in the highest degree. We are 
toKl tlmt the flood at the top of tlu" rapids lias a 
sj»e«<l <»f sevt-n miles an liour, which incren.s«vs at the 
U>tt*.ui to thirty miles an hour. Now. whether this is 
the Tt'id or only the approximate speed, it matteni 
not, as it shows what is the true cause which pn»- 
duces such a tierce luid frantic war in this avahuiche 
f»f water U-fnn? it makes the hiNt and terrible leap 
i;»to the groaning vortex of the aby^s lielow; und tins 
viild commotion isim]Hirted to a certain ejctent to the 
air. and in the stillest day one iian always c«»unt on a 
gtijitle brecxe found the margin of iUiat Island, and 



162 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

in hot weather this makes the island and the lake 
sources of desirable enjoyment. I have already- 
referred to the storm which rages at the bottom of 
the Falls. Such a large and solid body falling from 
such a height is capable of moving everything which 
intercepts its progress, and against which it strikes, 
and it is said the rocks in close proximity to the 
great Fall are sensibly affected, and vibrate by the 
action of the water. I was disposed to test this part 
of the marvellous, and with this view I got out to 
the very margin of the great Fall from the side next 
to Goat Island, and held my ear and cheek against a 
rock for some time, but I failed to discover the 
faintest vibration on the rock from the stroke of the 
water at the base. I think that the configuration of 
the rock below is such that no blow takes place 
except at any time a fall of the rock occurs, and 
even then it is doul)tful, on account of the channel 
and the great depth below. The depth immediately 
below the great Fall is greater than the height of the 
Table Eock above, and the momentum which is im- 
parted to the water does not appear on the surface at 
all, for the water on the surface is comparatively at 
rest, and its course is slow; while the waters below 
must be hurrying through the channel at the rate of 
ten or twelve miles an hour. The proof of this is 
obvious, in the fact that all floatable substances 
rarely appear at the basin of the Fall, but are held by 



THE FALLS OF NIAGARA. 103 

the velocity of the stream below, ami are carried 
dowTi lit once to the ^^^n^lJ>ool lUpitls, wluTv they 
are sometimes chume«l for a loiij^ time Iwfore tliey 
are swept dowii towards Lake Ontario, and it is very 
strange they shoidd appear at this point, for the 
water is said, or 8up|x>sed to be, several Immlretl feet 
deep; but in the vicinity of this i»art of the river the 
water must receive a check by s<»me <,Tpat impe<Ii- 
raent — some nd-dt-Mtc throwin},' the water up with 
so much veliKity as to throw it high into the air, 
and this at a distance of three miles ; this pheno- 
mcnon is seen down the St. fjiwrence as well, rtiul it 
lf>oks like the action of shallow wiiter, but the p<nver- 
ftil effect it ha« on the steamer <lisabu.s«»-H the mind at 
once of itrf Ixjing so. S<ime time ago there was at 
the Ilorsc Shoe Fall a tower which was used by the 
curious to overl(W)k tin* Falls, and a capital view and 
impn'ssion of its grandeur and majesty wen- ol»- 
taine<l; but it was nMnovi"*! not long ago, as fears 
were ent(>rtaine<l regarding its safety. It was net 
sufficiently near to the water to be influenced by ita 
action; but in the winter time, when thousamls of 
tons of ice are driven <lown the river, it^ Htnbilily 
might have undrrgonr somr change which may have 
induce<l the propri«'tor to .1. iii..lisK it .'utir.K .in.l 
thereby avert any accident 

It is said that many hu »i.l; im' iiii;iM<>n 

to leap into the AckmI wI. into itii vortex 



164 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

from some of the heights. This looks a strange 
story, and unaccountable in the extreme, but such a 
feeling as that might come to the surface in some 
persons whose constitution disposed them in a parti- 
cular direction. I tried the experiment under the 
fascinating influence and advantages which teem 
around the most attractive spots, but cannot say that 
I felt disposed in the remotest to distinguish myself 
by any such impressive piece of daring. I had no 
longings for the fame of those who dream of securing 
it by such a startling method. I daresay in refer- 
ence to this wonderful statement many would be 
inclined to stand on the order of their going and 
fail to go at once. Accidents, however, are rife at 
this spot. To make a false step here is tantamount 
to making a fatal one ; for it is difficult to extricate 
one's self at any point where such a slip takes place. 
I did not take notice whether there was any means 
at hand for the rescue of a person overtaken by 
accident. I rather think there is none. I do not 
remember seeing a life-buoy, ladder, or anything of 
that sort. Perhaps these on past occasions have 
been found of no use, or they may be disposed to 
afibrd facilities for carrying out the prophetical tra- 
dition of the Indians, who have set down the number 
of sacrifices to the giant flood at the rate of two in 
the year. Whether this prophecy applied to Indians 
or not I cannot say, but about an average of one in 



TMK FAI.l-S OF NIAGARA. I»i5 

lh«? ywir surtitfs, but whether m fiilHltuent of the pro- 
phecy I Iwive others to detennine or dUoovor. I did 
not fttol inclined to follow the Indinn into his fat- 
nesses, retreats, or solitudes, in the seam^li of wluit 
I thoujiht would scarvely n'jtiiy the tn)ulile. It is 
said, however, that the Indian.s have on certain occh- 
aions come from their distant settlementa to lo«»k on 
this j?n*at flofMl, the knowletl^'e of wh(v«e oxistence 
has lieen transmitte*! from father to son. and on these 
occasions they have stMij^ht the tlixnl, and with 
serious, grave, and n»venMid iiwp, and religious cere- 
mony. oflTorwl a calumet (iN>akanie or pip**) to the 
( Jrvat Spirit or Kitchi Manetoua, iv* a thankoffering 
for their propitious jouniey and safe return. It is a 
Hire thing t«» stn? an Indian in the vicinity of the 
Kalis. Tin* Chipjunva and the Inwiuois are «»ften 
s()oken alHMit, hut to nn^'t one rather a long j«niniey 
rwjuires to lie undertaken Imfore their habitations are 
overtaken; but lioth in the town of Niagara and the 
village of (.'lifton there are nufMMims where their 
works art* expos***! f<ir sale, and a great trade mtut 
)<e ilone in tliem. if one were to juilge fnun the 
numU'r of Hho|« or stores which offer the varioai 
kinds of Indian work of art to the tourist or tl»- 
veller, as a momento uf tlu'ir visit to the fame<l spot 
The An>,«h>-.Saxon rare an* idni«»Ht in |K»»}»«'*Hion of 
the whole country annind. and one rnndy meet** nn 
inhabitant .if imv .itli.r . ouiiirv \vh<» i" n p«'nuanent 



166 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

settler. The town of Niagara has a population of 
ahout 3000. The place is very much scattered, and 
any grouping of the buildings in the form of streets 
has scarcely the effect of causing one to feel that a 
street is intended by the arrangement. Buildings of 
some magnitude are found in close juxtaposition 
with others which are foreign to them in style and 
use. But possibly all this distraction in the exter- 
nal features of the place may be taken or reckoned 
as imparting to it a charm, as it takes away the com- 
mercial character from the appearance of the place 
which is associated usually with places which have 
their square and compact elements carefully attended 
to. The hotels are a feature in the place. Of course 
here, where the commercial population is small, the 
hotels are not used as they are in great centres of 
the States as the dwellings of the bulk of commer- 
cial men; they are solely for the use of the moveable 
and fluctuating population. Tourists are public pro- 
perty whenever they come to visit places like the 
Falls; they are the peculiar care of the various 
auxiliaries belonging to the hotels, who are like your 
shadow, or the ever-present sound of the water' 
which encircles you all the time of your sojourn. 
You are never left for a moment without their kindly 
influence being exerted over you. Whether it is 
that they fear that you may become a prey to that 
mystical fascination and power which are attributed 



TUK KALL8 OF NIAGAKA. 107 

to these inystariuas Falls, aiul tlmt you may transfer 
yourself, were y«>u left ttl»)ue, to their attnicfive ainl 
fatal embrace, I know u«it, but tiieir attenti»»ns are of 
a fervid, generous, and self-abnegating character, 
which is Cidculat^nl to puzzle you lus t<. where it has 
its source. It would l»e uncharitjible to su]i|H»st' that 
the knowledge of your U*ing the reinisitory of a cer- 
tain nuuiber of dollars couhl induce such kimlly 
feeling, and geniiU and frank solicitude with which 
you are overjxiwuretl. It is quite evident that the 
chief of the business in connection with the ]>lace 
has its origin in the thmisunds who tire coiitiinially 
coming and going to visit the world's womU-r, the 
hotels alone being able to accommodate several 
thousands. It is not i>ossible to say whicii is liest, 
for wherv thcrv is so much com|>etition doubfless the 
efl'ort to |)leiu->e the customer will corresjMuid. Any 
numlx;r of vi-hicles, carriages, or buggies are in the 
streets and o{tenings Itelonging to the hotel.H, ami to 
persons having no connection with them, and one 
will lie .ture to be adviseil to have nothing to do with 
isolateil and wander! li "U the streets. I do 

not say that their ci'i . uorality is of a higher 

type than the pniprielors of the hot<?ls, but I would 
only advise any visitant who wishes the aAsisLauce 
of these useful characters to believe Uie cue oa soon 
as the oiluT Anything I to the rii;'- 1 

SUtes* side chiefly, but I j brief *|ni - 



168 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

the river will not prevent the contagion from spread- 
ing to the other; but what I said in regard to the 
proprietors of the foreshore on the United States' 
side, must influence every one in their estimate of 
the people on that side. Any person or people who 
can, for the doubtful gain secured by it, shut out one 
of nature's grandest and most sublime and majestic 
sights, for the sake of making a profit of it, should 
be sent down over the Whirlpool Rapids in the 
winter time on a block of ice, and the Government 
which would allow such a transparent and despicable 
piece of swindling is not entitled to any generous 
expression of sympathy from any person of sense or 
considerate judgment. A British subject who has 
travelled so many thousand miles to see this grand and 
imposing spectacle, and who has approached it by way 
of the States, and finds he must get on British soil 
again by crossing to the Canadian side before he can 
see it, if he has any soul at all must entertain an in- 
tensified degree of supreme and just contempt for 
those who would make this full and sublimely grand 
voice of God equal to a trumpery show which is 
dragged by the scum of creation from town to town 
for the pennies or cents drawn from the curious. 

The museums I referred to, and which are most 
numerous on the American side, are evidently worthy 
of being visited by all who go that way; but it is 
needless for me or any one else to suggest tliis. The 



THK FALIJ* OF N'lAOARA. 169 

person who can e8t'a|)e them by l^ein^ indifferent U) 
the solicitation and inii>ort unities of tlie keejuTs has 
all the (|ualities of a {)erson who should make the 
round of the States. These stores, shops, or museums 
are chiefly in the places where stranj^ers most do 
conj,'n'j'ate. and are of course a leading feature. 
We pr«»sume the daytime has been exhausted by 
seeking, and enjoying the fair sjKits in the surrounding 
country, the after-<linner speeches have all been 
delivered, and the ileep shadows of an autumnal 
evening have settled down on and roncealed all the 
beauties of this fairk'land, and you walk abnmd eager 
to inhale the cool and invigorating air or tlu- swoet 
odour from the new mown hay; but to do this you 
mu.st leave the air which |iem»eate8 the rntounige of 
your hotel, and you pass on not knowing whether 
you go. By and by, you are attracte<l by an t-xcets 
of light from ort» qnarter, and as there is a che^-rful 
look you are induced to proceetl in that way; but you 
have not gone far without doing what is natural in 
the circumstances, taking a peep at the U'auties 
which an* spn-ad in the window for thf U-n«'ht of an 
admiring ami difweniing publir; aii<l whilf you are 
admiring the contents of the wimlow you an- i»<»litely 
told by two or thn«e attractive young ladies that the 
attractions of the window are infinitely inferior to 
what are to U- seen inside. You attempt to w.Mj-h 
that announcfment in the Imlanw. but lief«»rt» vou 



170 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

have time to adjust the scales you are found standing 
in the interior of the museum, and it takes an effort 
of philosophy to enable you to discover the agency 
by which the transfer was effected so rapidly, and it 
is only after you have departed with your hat and 
coat pockets stuffed with the various varieties and 
your purse commensurately empty, that the secret 
dawns upon you in all its vivid reality. It is surpris- 
ing the amount of business and talk which can be 
effected by these ladies in a night, and in some 
instances they will deliver an embellished statement 
with as much sangfroid as if it was a plain unvarnished 
fact, substantiated by the concrete and respectable 
testimony of the local legislature. 

A walk abroad in the evening round the great centre 
of attraction is impressive and grand beyond concep- 
tion. The evening is quiet a nd calm, and all nature 
has glided softly into M^arm and luscious repose. The 
stars have fretted the deep blue sky, and they are scat- 
tering their rays of living light across the gloom. No 
breath of air disturbs even the tender branches. You 
look across the great chasm and you feel as if a spirit 
passed before you. High overhead it hovers, winged 
as it were with motion from below, rising gently and 
awfully, it stands a pillar of cloud by night, fenced 
round by the eternal music from the void beneath, fit 
emblem of immortality and life. We could forgive 
the untutored Indian if we learned that he had made 



THE FALLS W NIA(;a1U. 171 

this sjiot u temple for the Great Spirit to dwell iiiniul 
receive his ln»ma;,'e and worship, for at tilue^ there 
is uiuch in and around it to excite and call out feel- 
ings of veneration and reverence, ami inspire the 
beholder with every attribute of his nature which 
lifts him from the ^toss and sensual uccouqianinK'nts 
of this life to one of a hi;^her and lasting' character. 

The streets of Niaj,'am are \er\ homely and rustic 
in their api)eamnce, as if they were c»nly recently 
reclaimed from the common, with a sprinkling' of 
shrulM and trees here and there, for the S4»ke of 
variety, and variety is certainly n<jt awantin^' in every 
comer of it. Here you find a mill, with the canal 
gliding post, giving induhitahle evidence that it 
has been superseiletl by some niore useful work, the 
antique bridge and the jtathway across, where caution 
and cin"ums|»ection are necessary to keep you out of 
the danj;enjus deep Ivlow. The ample ami ca|ia(riou8 
h«.tel, sumnindetl with well-kept walks and luxuriant 
wide-spread trees, whoxe shadows are gniciouh in the 
mid-ilay sun, and close by the humble wooilen build- 
ing and the thrifty tnuh'snum's Hhop, with bniad 
brimmiHl awning to kf4']t Iuh htock secure from sun or 
rain. There is a special intercwt lUMMK-iatetl with the 
wuntry here, on acc<iuut of it4i being the soene of 
aeveral Iwttles lietwecn the old authorities and the 
new. Tliis is the line which divides thr u 

Canotla, and licing the fn>ntier — a Udil A 



172 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

line of demarcation — at times the war raged around 
tlie district between Fort Erie at one end of the 
river and Fort Niagara at the end next to Lake 
Ontario; and at many places along both banks 
engagements and conflicts have occurred between 
the Indians, Americans and British, and on the lakes 
also deadly strife has been often waged, when the 
great conflict or struggle for independence was going 
on. But now no military are seen anywhere, the 
Custom-house officer being the only Government 
official one has occasion to meet; and I daresay every 
peaceable citizen hopes that the bold and stubborn 
cliffs on the banks of the Lower Niagara, and its 
broad and deep water above, will be sufficient for all 
the purposes of division and protection, and that in 
all time to come the storm which formerly tore and 
severed the two countries will be hushed for ever, and 
nothing more formidable will appear to divide them 
than the impetuous stream of the Niagara. 



( II A VT K i: X I I I 



KX KOUTE FOR THE CAPITAL OF UITEll t ASAI»A. 
The kimlly ofticos whicli out* exi)erieiicfs at the 
Falls are mtt limited to the time you may reside 
there. They are also <»f a prospective character. 
How do you like our eouiitrj- ? is a question which 
is ever and anon propounded, and following,' that, as 
a carollnry. Where do you p) next? I'p to this time 
I had not travelled in the manner which is cus- 
tomar>' or common in the States. Tourisi,-* usually 
in the States, with consummate forethouj'ht, sketch 
the entire ground which they inteml to wcupy in 
their projected voyage, and at one of the many places 
where the sale of tickets takes place, they secun* a 
long string of these corresiMinding with the de.nired 
route, luid after that no further purchases are in?ces- 
aan*, and by this arrangement a considendile saving 
is eftected. Vou may get from ten to twenty 
tickets, as the aise may lie, acconling t4i the nundier 
of places you intend t<» stop at or to vij<it. and when 
you arrive you hand the conduct<ir the ti( ket I tearing 
the name of the place, ami you can stay therv for 
any tiine, and aftemiirtlH pursue your way to (he next 
place indicated on your coupon. And Uie iulviuit4ige 



174 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

of such a system is of a liiglily commendable kind, 
as it saves all further anxiety about the purchase of 
tickets, and your undivided attention can be given to 
your baggage as you pursue your journey. At this 
point I was recommended and induced to proceed in 
the manner I have referred to. I bought my long 
string of coupons, which entitled me to bed, board, 
and passage by steamer and rail for the remainder of 
my route. These tickets or coupons are sold at 
offices often a long way from the station at which 
you intend to embark, and you have only to step 
into the train on arriving at the station and proceed, 
without even showing your ticket, which, if you 
happen to be a little late, is a convenience which 
you feel much in such circumstances. There are 
two routes by which you can reach Canada from the 
Falls, by rail straight across by London or Paris, and 
the other by rail and steamer to York, the old name 
of Toronto. This latter I selected, embarked, and 
found our track lay along the eastern bank of the 
Niagara river. The day was clear and fine, and our 
course was at times along the very brink of its high 
embankment, affording us facilities for seeing the 
bold and rocky escarpment on the opposite bank, 
and the jutting shelves with their rich fringes of 
variously coloured vegetation, the towering pines 
spotting the wild, irregular, and rugged stony pali- 
sades behind. Here, some huge and towering cliff 



EX ROUTE FOR ITPEB CANADA. 175 

secniiHl )K>i.sc(l in mul air, as if ready to take u hend- 
lonj^' j>luu<^» into the soothing fltKn! coursing U'twoou 
the iMuriow bolow; an«l thero, troen rist? ovor treoa, 
clothing the sides of the giant walls from l»a.'*i« to 
cope. High into the air rises tho pile of this majes- 
tic temple, with its sides of rich and natural decora- 
tion, disclosing here and there its massive juid mag- 
nificent architecture, chislc«l by tlie hand of Time, 
and bolow the voice of tho spirit of the HcxkI ning up 
its etoniid chorus, tilling tlie entire chasm with ita 
nevernlying anthem. Hut shortly the train changes 
direction, and makes a dotuur further east, and we 
jMuss by cultivate^l fields, whoso treasures hi-ri" lie 
gloanod, and ready to .st4)ro boforo tho advent of 
wintor, with its .stern and biting bhists and stonus. 
Tlie run htui not been a long one, for shortly we luUt, 
and the contonta of the tmin are transferred to stoamer 
at Li'wiston, by a numlmr of voliirlos. which uuiy lie 
wanting in rh-gnmo but not in variety. A moment- 
ar)' bunUo take.s place, and tlie Imrse and his rider 
are on their way again to Niagnru, lunidst a cloud of 
dust, and with the lively adniinistnition of the whip 
or the tongue to the pro|N*lliiig jiower. «e move along 
jauntily for aliout two miloji, and our [*■ - \. 

Tlie steainor lie's at a wharf, and lion* w< m 

embankment from a conHideroble heightby a luc- 
ccHsion of ste|)H, rv<|uiring lioth carv and skill to do so 
succeAHftilly and safely. When tho living freight has 



176 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

settled into its place and the various traps and bag- 
gage are adjusted, we cut our connection with the 
land, and move further into the stream, which lies 
like a still broad sea of glass, reflecting the foliage 
around its margin. Lewiston begins to recede. The 
big wheels are beating back the green water into 
snowy ripples, and the fresh breeze beats the grateful 
awning which spans the deck into life and vigour. 
The gorge of Niagara narrows in the distance, and the 
banks rise up like ramparts on either side, robed in 
their mantles of varied tints, mellowed by the autum- 
nal sun. Queenston is passed, and the wide ocean of 
Ontario floats across the river's mouth, and on one 
side Fort Niagara looks over its water with its hun- 
dred loopholes, and from the flagstaff swings the 
flaunting " Stars and Stripes." We touch at the 
opposite shore at a small place on the Canadian 
side, and now we are on Lake Ontario. Our next 
port is Toronto, and for the next few hours we are 
surrounded by the waste of water, and our attention 
and curiosity must be directed to the steamer and its 
contents, or reflections of the past, the imposing sights 
we have left behind, of the magnitude of everything 
in the country, which attracts attention. Its lakes, 
its rivers, are unending, infinite ; its bays are oceans ; 
its oaves are the portals to the blackness of darkness, 
teaming with stalactite and stalagmite wonders and 
beauties, the chambers of which, for number and in- 



EX ROITE FOR UPPER CAXAlJA. 177 

tricacy, are beyoiul human ixiwer to explore. Num- 
bers of them have l>efn illuminnU'd witli mI^.U*!* for 
the curious to set' their interior, but the vuds «.f thoir 
ram iti cat ions have not l>een seen yet Then* are falls 
twice the heij^ht of Niajjara, but tlie boily of thu water 
is not so impre.ssively grami aiul awo inspiring. Thi-ro 
are small lakes of unsurjMissfil l»eauty. with scenory 
siirrttumling much like our Tntssachs. There are 
mountainous districts, but these are not so gigantic. 
They do not breathe of immortality, nor poitit iit the 
direction of the jjouI's luspirations. They are not 
mantled in romantic life ami grandeur, n«)r cn»wncHl 
with snowy or cloudy coronets. They do not reach 
to the distinction which grace those mountains that 
have their emUittlements high in the stonus and 
artiller}- of the upper world, and round whose t*)p 
the spirit of man communes with the sublime and 
beautiful in nature. 

\Vu have gain(*d the middli> of the lake, and the 
land wu left behind has sunk below the horiztm, nnd 
the shtjre in the direction of our jxirt Ijegins to rijw 
up as from the <Ieep ; on the left nothing is .Hoen 
but a thin thn'a<l marking the line where the sky and 
sea meet, wlule to the right hundn««ls <»f mih"* inter- 
vene between us and the land, and the solitary aH|H?ct 
of tlie surface makes one feel as if the middle of the 
Atlantic was our i^wition. Tliere i" ' »»ne 

sail in sight cro-^sing this tiduloss an : '^aiL 



178 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

We near the land, and are struck with the marked 
character of this side of the lake, or rather this part. 
The high table-land or the rampart-like bold shore 
is only on the side we have left, and on the Toronto 
shore the land is flat and level so far as we see from 
our ship. A long spit, tongue, or hook-like island 
lies along in front of Toronto Bay, and extends for 
miles, serving the purposes of a breakwater, and 
must be serviceable to the port when storms drive the 
waters of the lake in that direction. There seemed to 
me to be a difhculty navigating the steamer in crossing 
this bar, and sundry " ports " and " starboards " cur- 
vettings, backings and forwardings, are necessary to 
catch the line of the channel, but shortly we round 
the bay and get into the wharf or quay, and the 
bursting vapour from the steam pipe trumpets our 
arrival at the capital of Upper Canada, and I have 
made my lirst trip on an American lake. I have 
purposely omited to say anything about the quality 
or character of the steamers, as I w^ill have an oppor- 
tunity to do so after a while, "when I get on one of 
the other lakes, as steamships on tliis are not 
equal to those on the States lakes and rivers. They 
serve the purpose as well for what they are intended, 
but they are plain and commonplace ; while those in 
the trade referred to are miracles of marine architec- 
ture. 

Toronto has a foreshore in extent similar to Greenock, 



KN ROUTE FOR IPPER CANADA 179 

a)x>ut two miles or so. and on or a1on<; this spnoo are 
many jmhlic works, ami evidence.s of a thriving city. 
The wharves are many, and piles of all kinds of stuffs 
are crowding the availahji* landings. Tlie pier where 
we landetl waj* pack«*d with a heterogenous compila- 
tion of ewrything. and to esca|»e fmm its intricaiics 
retpiired both time and consiclerahle lnl>our. At this 
pier the steamer in which we came leavM her imis- 
ijengers, and those who intend to prosecute the voyage 
to its end take another steamer, which goes down the 
Saint Liwrenre to Moutival — thirty hours* sail or so 
among tlie thousand islands and over th>> rajiids. lUit 
as I wishetl to see jMirt of the Canadian interior and 
an acHiuaintance I transferreil myself to the f J rand 
Tnink Ilailway Station, ami got my l»aggage cheeked, 
intending to return the day f<»l!owing. My train did 
not start for an hour or so, and I had time to look 
atxmt. Tlie stations at this cit}- remind one of home. 
Tlie Ctmnd Tnmk especially resembles the stution of 
the Scottish (,'entnd at Perth. It is almost new, and 
quite WDrthy of the great system it is .-vi ?)•'.••.-<? -a ••}) 
On the lMniri(-.» ^ide tif it are the ' 

Ticket Uflicci. Pulmans Ticket OR: i 

Rooms, ample Waiting Rooms, and Officials' Aimrt* 
menta. .\ * ' ' ' 'ion T -^aw in Amerira 

worthy of Tlie stations of the 

' " 'he m<»st I if t!ie 

ink i>< th.- N'mii- 



180 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

pareil, and is evidence of the new vigour, life and 
action which have been infused into this gigantic 
enterprise, which was disposed, on the part of its 
management, to take a nap by the way for a while, 
and settle down into a lethergic condition, when the 
zenith of success had been attained, or was supposed 
to be so. At first the entire system was constructed 
on the old or broad guage system, and I daresay a 
difficulty was experienced of extending operations, 
a transhipment of goods entailed expense, and limited 
the action to its own plant; but now that the guage 
is changed to the now almost universal standard, its 
fresh blood will receive scope for circulation over the 
great continent. To be able to run cars to and from 
Chicago, Montreal, Portland, and other large centres 
must necessarily give a stimulus to trade previously 
unknown. Everywhere the old rails have been taken 
up and the whole replaced with steel rails, new roll- 
ing stock has been created, between four and five 
hundred new engines have been constructed, new 
bridges, &c., and the £2,000,000 which the company 
have put into their hand will enable them before they 
are done to create the finest railway system in the 
world. And if there is any part of the world where 
such enterprise is needed, it is on this great British- 
American Continent, with its vast resources for enter- 
prise and skill. In every direction the tide of 
emigration flows over the continent, and with a 



EX ROITE FOR ITPEB CAXADA. 181 

railway system carryini; fresh lalioiir and tho other 
ap'm'io.-* nocessarv for tin* coii»|iu«.st untl cU'nniiu'o of 
tin- i\*^']i uiui inti»nuin»l»I»> fi»n'st'<. tin* dinu-ulticA of 
iiiiini^'nitini) a; rioii im* to a \irvtH »'Xt<nt 

oviTfoiiu' ami iiul j;n*at fafjlitic«8 aHnnlitl 

for the advancement and execution of the InhoriouM 
work which moots tho colonist on his arrival. A 
wi lo-spn'adanilonbctivf railway systtMu is «»f tho last 
inii>ortaiirc in any ro«inlr>'. Imt os|H'oialIy in a cnmitr)' 
whort' thore are no f>ld lioaton tracks to jji'id*' the 
st«'pH of the new settler in his search for a new home 
it is ••sM-ntially so. Tlio cars on thi.n line are splondid 
s|K'riiii«Mi.s of fini.Hho<l work of tho kind. (>no would 
supiKi-ir thoro wa« no hjhnI for anything' liko contly 
and olalxirate doeorations on thcw cars, but the 
niana{*enient are determined to be abreast of the 
times, an«l it mu.st to a certain extent be nn induce- 
niont to tho traviillin^' piiblir; and if it is not so, it is 
a dotiilinl ronifort to th«>so who aro obli^'wl t«» travol 
by day. ami tho>M» who have to tmvol by ni-^hf are 
enabled to do so in a palace, or, as it is set down, ** a 
palarc> car." As I said before, these arc l»oth goryeons 
and HtimptuouA. At tho stations tfloy are ki«pt for 
thf • - you can 

tho !• I the who].- • 

In Canaita the same principles of radwny niann;;e- 
mont as in tho Stat4M aro rarriinl out. TIm* I'ulliuan 
cars are not tho pit)|)erty of th<* vnrioiiN lines on whioh 



182 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

they are found, but belong to a company which pays 
for the privilege of running their cars over the lines 
of railways. And as I stated, the persons wishing to 
use the palace or sleeping cars get tickets from an 
official representing the company they belong to, and 
who at this station occupies an office of his own. 
The emigrant car is another institution. Of course 
we do not expect to see an attempt at anything like 
luxury in connection with these — they are plain and 
commonplace, like the cheapest means of conveyance 
in our own country. These are provided frequently as 
part of the contract with the emigrant before he or 
she quits fatherland. These are attached to all the 
trains, and ordinary or first-class is reserved for the 
travelling public. Whilst there is thus a general 
spirit of progress in relation to comfort and stability 
going on, a person from this country is rather aston- 
ished at the irregularity of the trains. Time is seldom 
or never kept, especially on lines where there is any 
extent of traftic; and if it were not that they were 
wrought with single lines collisions in all likelihood 
would be frequent, but the train which is first due at 
the siding statioif must wait till the train from the 
other direction comes up and passes, and thus trains 
are prevented from colliding, and the sacrifice of life 
is prevented at the sacrifice of time, the loss of which 
is least fell. The facilities which the rapid extension 
of railways give must be great to the commercial 



EX ROtTB FOR IPPKR CA.NAllA. 183 

ixirtion of the SUtefi aiul Caiuula in seudiiiR in pro- 
duce th the iH^rts. wliere it is oiuUirkwl. and to central 
markets. In Caujulu railway extension i» »low aiul 
cantion.sly i-mjecteil; l»ut in the States an aUno^t 
opposite course is pursuiMl. In the bejiinnin}: ..f ISG<*, 
there were 35,000 miles of railway in the States in 
operation; ami one-half of that amount wjls nuule 
during tlie preoedini: eleven years. In 1809 owr 
5.000 mih's were made, and since that \h-t'u>^\ nearly 
8.000 mded have Wen made. In the first instance 
the lines are single, double lines In-iug rarely seen ; 
And when we consider that the building of radways 
in America cost.s <.nly alwut a third of what they cost 
in Britain. th«-y «mght tn jmy well, and the Americana 
think thut their railways are W-tter managed than 
they are in Britain; the farvs are less, if wo consider 
that first-cla.Hs is the degree of travelling accomm.nlu- 
tion provided. In travelling in any part of the 
Arotric«n continent folks fn^m this part of the world 
are apt to forget that the time is not uniform tlicre m 
it U here, the extent of the country l>eing I.h. great 
to enable them to adopt any 8uch arrangement, and 
as the time is siimetimes that of the city yo.i have 
left, and at another time that t«. which you are going. 
you' are perplexe^l. eH|«H:iany whiUl you are on the 
move, and a^ th.! result of this your chrenom.tor is 
never telling the tnilh. and confusion on the jwrt of 
strangers is sure to 1» frwiuently manifottted. 



184 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

As this city is the chief centre of importance in 
Upper Canada, there is much that is interesting on 
account of its being so, but as my train does not allow 
me as much time as is necessary to see it at present, 
I will take the cars and reserve it for examination on 
my return from the interior. The trains are not 
numerous in the course of the day to any of the dis- 
tant places, and they are mostly trains which are pro- 
ceeding from Montreal or other places, such as Port- 
land or Eichmond, going west, and are joined by the 
cars from Toronto. The station of the Grand Trunk 
Line stands on the portion of the west-end of the city 
next or near the lake, and the cars here are brought 
along in the same manner as in many of the State 
cities through the central part of the busiest portion of 
the city, and enter the station at one end, and leave 
by the other. 

The usual stillness which occurs between the 
trains is superseded by various movements indica- 
tive that the train is approaching, and the in- 
tending travellers are on the qui vive, baggage is all 
piled on traps ready for transfer to the officials in 
charge. The usual amount of steam whistling and 
creaking of compound breaks and buffers, and fitful 
and nervous vociferation take place, and hurried 
adieus are interchanged, and we are oft to the West ! 
On this line there are many stations which have 
familiar names, l)ut on the whole they show the lands 



EN ROITK FOR UPPKR CASAI>A. 185 

t«' have l>een settleti on by people of various countries. 
T!ie routo. iw far hs \io\\e over by nu*. was Hat iukI 
level ; considerable tracks of it cleantl ami fully cul- 
tivated, other* only |»artially so, and dotted >»ith 
niNTiads of .stumps, but utiliseti U-tween. This was 
vt'n* j;enerally the character of the country alonj; this 
line, intersj»erse«l with a numlx-r of »mart-l<Mtking 
villafjes. the traitj* or featurvs of which we will have 
an op{)ortunity a^niin of seeing, and after a nin of 
al«out four hours we arrive*! at the tow?? ■• I', ti.!. 
(Jiitario, I'luier Canada. 



C H A P T E K XIV, 



BERLIN, UPPER CANADA. 

When I arrived at Berlin the deep and impenetrable 
shadows of a Canadian evening had settled over the 
landscape, and 1 felt somewhat at a loss, for the 
station was some distance from the town, and the 
morally felicitous condition of this part of the " New 
World " did not necessitate the practice of lighting 
the public thoroughfares, and strangers have just to 
grope their way in the dark in the same manner as 
the settled -portion of the population do. However, 
I was favoured with the casual guidance of some 
young folk who were returning from a fair held at 
the neighbouring town of Guelph, and these served 
the double purpose of company as well. It was not 
long after sunset, but the rapidity with which the 
day deepens into night after that luminary has sunk 
is very marked, and is beyond our idea in such mat- 
ters; but when T approached what I took to be the 
town, from the number of windows which were 
strewing their glowing lights across the gloom, I 
made a halt, and on making inquiry I found T was 
standing at the side of the Presbyterian church, 



BKIILIN. ll'JKK CASAltA. 1^7 

which was at that moineut occupiotl V.y my clerical 
frieua whom I was in ciuest of. I cntonnl the iK»rch. 
and after a series of utteiui.ts in the dark to find a 
passage. I at la^jt succeedeil. and took my seat in one 
of the r^-motest |h..W5 in the chnreh. and as there wa.H 
but a dim religious light. I mamige^l to securt^ my 
tHCOifnUo to the end of the ser%ices witl.-. nnuh 

trouble. 

There is nothing on earth which ren.iu.t^ .„.• „i 

home awil it« highest luiSiK-iation.s more than that of 

goiug into a church in a foreign land and fnuling the 

ga:he i^erson otficiating who had done s.. at home. 

frequently in the stune form and the same words, the 

same sounds, the sim.e • b.rd's song in a foreign 

land.' when. iK..rhaj.s. "Dundee's wihl warl.hng 

measurea rise." or some one of " Scotia's sw.-. t. >t 

bys." Tlien, by the magiad omnii^tence and ^\h'M 

of thought, one Hnds himself tmnHiK,rte<l in memory 

back thmugh the wild and confused labyrinth of the 

past and intervening scenes to bin home far across 

the HrHHls. Such wertj some of my feelingn Wlweeii 

the time of my entrance into and exit fn.m that 

House of do.! (»n that night, after having pa-eed over 

a con.Huleruble in.rtion of the Canadian continent. If 

I were U» say that my friend was »ur|>nse«l and 

plettM-Hl. and plea.M.Hl and luiU.nisheil. to (ind a visitor 

from " Aidd Scotlanil ' in the Canadian interii.r. I 

^ould only tell you half of lb© inah. W.. some- 



188 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

times talk of " angels' visits," but scarcely in Canada 
have they such a thing, and when an occasion occurs 
they are inclined to regard the person as such; and 
then it is their aim to give one the proof of it before 
leaving them. 

The distance we had to travel after leaving church 
was not great, and it would be a work of some mag- 
nitude to rehearse the thousand-and-one inquiries 
al)out home made by the Eev. Mr. Dickie, for mid- 
night did not mitigate the demands which were made 
upon me. But as there was a new day coming, we 
both retired — the one confident of being able to 
sujiply the demand the other was likely to make 
upon him in reference to what was doing in the 
" Old World." 

A night's repose brought the morning wreathed in 
dappled clouds of gray, chased with gold and ruby 
tints, and robust with the glow of youthful health. 
The light was frolicking among and along the tops of 
the distant pines, and on the cones of the metal 
covered spires, then back to the east again, when I 
walked abroad to see the town of Berlin for the first 
time. Of course it is unnecessary to say what part 
of the world the first settlers came from, and who 
made this their liabitation and home, or though one, 
were it possible, were cast ashore on this part of 
Canada, he would not remain at a loss for any length 
of time as to the nationality of its people. The German 



BKRLIN. riTKB CANADA. 189 

element is still strong, but there are rcprvsi^ntatives 
from iimiiy Eun'jifan countrifji, ami \vf can i '. 

leant that the }>a.st was not n'mi'tc when the t< 

tion stone of this jilace w.ts luiil. for it lias none of 
tlie mellow and matured features about it. One can 
easily conceive of the date of its being reclaimod 
from the forest which surrounds it, of which its an?a 
fonued a jMirt. At that time it would !•<• i»ut a farm 
in a wihhI, ver\' much like others which uri* more 
recently forme*L We canm»t disctiver any natural 
advantitge which would induce any number of {icr- 
gons to tix on this s|H)t as likely and suitable for a 
town or city; but |»erhai>s such a distant iLs|M!ct of 
matters does not form an in^ivdient in the c4Ucula- 
tions of the early hcttler. and on a grejit continent 
which is comiMimtively level there ii not the same 
0co|n; for the exercise of the choice of the settler. 
lUit from the fact that it gn»ws. and |iro»}MT8 niato- 
rially, we must infer then* an- advanta 
kind alxiut it, though the^ne are only wli. i- 

mon in the whole country — the fertility of the soil. 
Tlie earth yields its increase with coni|iaratively little 
lalmur, and an honcftt amount of cjire. There arv in 

den- ; 

may Iw dotti>n>ated a church ; and this fact ]irovt>s it 
an active, and, intellect uiUly. a ver)* enteqirising 
community when; there is much attention U> the 



190 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

growth of principles as well as agricultural produce 
The ground generally is rich, and the industrious 
and careful farmers are wealthy, because they work 
hard, and are good husbandmen. Poverty is little 
known there, not because there is an absence of 
vice, but ;hat is not so rampant, neither should it be 
when there is the presence of so many temples. The 
interchange of friendship and social sentiment is 
liberally indulged in, and there is much geniality of 
deportment evinced in the promiscuous intercourse of 
everyday life; but one is weightily impressed with 
the light and evanescent character and quality of 
everything which surrounds him, or at least the bulk 
of what he sees. The houses are wood; the slates are 
wood. There are no dykes or walls except what are 
wood. The pavements are vrood, and the coal is 
wood. But there are some of the well-to-do citizens 
who live in chateaux cU Iriquc very tastefully con- 
structed and embellished with what indicates wealth 
and culture ; but these are limited, though from the 
signs of commercial life and energy they will be sure 
to increase. There are some public works engaged in 
the manufacture of such things as the possession of 
plenty of wood gives facilities for producing, and they 
are sent often far away over the continent. There 
are great numbers of Dutch — industrious, wealthy, 
and exemplary citzens. Their personal appearance 
generally does not indicate wealth, but the opposite ; 



BERLIN. UITKR CANADA. I'.'l 

but their bonis niul liaiik accounts give their ])ersonal 
appearance the lie direct. Quiet. soIht iinlu8trio\ia. 
oMi^injjj. fratenmlly so in 8<»nie thintn<. tliev Wnd 
together to promote the united Wfll-l«ein«^ <»f the 
whole. As their st»ntinients, con»niert*ially. d«Knully, 
and religiou&ly are one, their actions are cnnsistentJy 
the same in relation to the pmctical aspects «ir phaites 
of their e.x|»erience in adversity or prosivrity. They 
are almost unifonnly the f«»ll«»\vers of one form of 
religious lielief. and follow it with the striote.st and 
aeverest rigour. I don't know that their one fonn is 
limittnl to what pertainB to the puri'ly spiritual, for 
with the inflexibility of fate they apply it to the <ut 
and colnur of their coats, and with unflinching and 
jjerMi.Htent aim and devotion apply its restrictive 
injunction to the numlx^r of buttons that ought to 
tulnm that ^'annent. They do not for a moment 
doubt that the ojienitionH <if Pmvidence extend to the 
rem "Ut of wimt hax its existence in his 

uni\- i>*m; but to make any eflV rt to Have a 

stray crummy, or a Uini in a thunderstorm, by iuhur- 
ing the one or the other, would ai^ue such an amoitut 
of infidelitv as to ilelmr them fn>m lieini; nvipieuts of 
the 
wh. 

They .in- sucee^^lul lannern, their Iwnis are bniaii and 
ample, and r^>min(l oiiu of those iMtmutim<*«> <*vt<n un the 
canvas of a Toniers or a Van Ostadv; and tlieir stxa 



192 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

is suggestive of the M^ealth which can be extracted 
from the land with comparatively little labour, for in 
many instances a very few hands suffice to labour the 
land. They have two temples in the community, and 
the disciples of Swedenborg have one, in which it is 
said their efforts at proselytising have been very suc- 
cessful. There are also Episcopalians, Lutherans, 
Koman Catholics, and Presbyterians. The hotels in 
this small place are almost as numerous as the 
churches. There are some eight or so, which is 
certainly a very fair supply, and shows that the 
number who patronise them on market days is large, 
or that here considerable numbers do not keep house 
of their own. Market days are frequent, and the 
stir in the place on these days is quite animating, 
and gives one a lively notion of the commercial char- 
acter of the folks from the surrounding country. 
The stores are very ample, and give evidence that 
the prospective wants of the people are thoroughly 
understood and provided for in every department of 
creature comfort, and especially in the literary line, 
for one store contains a selection and number of 
books, which speaks highly for the intellectual 
calibre of the inhabitants who are the storekeeper's 
customers. 

One would naturally suppose that where so many 
hotels are in existence, there would be a disposition 
on the part of the people to drink deep; if so, the 



BERLIN. rriKR CANADA. H'3 

outwonl evidence of their having done 86 is not 
apparent Perhaps they do not feel inclined to cany 
this proof of their libations into the public thorough- 
fares, for one rarely sees a person who is ca{>able of 
giving the same substantial ami incontrovertible ])n)ofs 
of his felicity as we are at times favoureil with at 
home; or perhaps the virtue of American stimulants 
tloes not induce the same genial and felicitous condi- 
tion in man which we see in this country so fre<|uently. 
But I iliiresay there have been manifested at times 
tendencies to lean in the opjwsite direction, for in 
Berlin on Satunlay nights the drinking places are 
comi>elled to shut before seven o'clock, and this has 
the efl'ect of pronioting a virtue which is cultivattnl 
largely, and which the Ixjgislature intends to enforce 
where there is any ap|»iirent laxity or dis]io.sition to 
neglect it. I am not qualiticnl to say anything in 
reference to the public morality of the ploct*. but one 
would Miy, from the absence of tuiything like u staff 
of oHicials whose busine.HS it is to check uml re.stniin 
the im*gulttr jiassions un<l vices of the |K«ople, and the 
al>8ence of lights nu the public slrw-ts. that there are 
few who require the attention of tliose public senauts 
who in some places are on the alert night and <lay to 
pre8cr%'e the peace and promote a sjKHies of morality, 
which in even commendable in the absence of a more 
praiseworthy kind. 

During my stay hero I liad the pleaaure of enjoy- 



194 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

ing the friendship of Sheriff Davidson of the place, 
and also Mr M'Dougall, the chief civil and judicial 
magistrates, both worthy representatives of the great 
power which emanates from the Home Government 
via Ottawa. But I am afraid, were I to say nothing 
more in regard to these gentlemen, I would require to 
sustain the oft and well-merited attacks of self-re- 
proach; for when one has such friendship expressed, 
and in a manner which is the spontaneous effusion of 
an ingenuous, frank and generous nature, and by 
cordial and kindly expressions of unrestrained hospi- 
tality, we feel it is an important duty to acknowledge 
how it is appreciated, even though the disposition to do 
so is cramped by doing it through a public or partially 
public channel. I must say I feel a little pride in 
saying that both of these gentlemen are Scotchmen, 
and it is a little singular that those who are virtually 
the head of the executive in a place of German origin 
should be so. But these are not solitary examples in 
. Canada, nor does Canada give the only examples of 
this kind. It would be of little or no use to say any- 
thing about the moral character of the place. The 
legislative functions operate always smoothly and 
sweetly where there are good subjects, and officials 
thoroughly qualified to administer the law, and give 
a vital exposition of law-abiding influences on the 
character. The country in the neighbourhood is not 
marked by any of the irregular and romantic beauties 



BERUX, Uri'ER CANADA. lOo 

which one would desire. It matters not in what 
direction one Uwks — the same stmijjht line of horizon 
meets the eye, and then the forest, park, and the 
snake-fence MTiggles along the foreground, and Ixick 
into the forest again; and its zigzag features wind and 
encircle the whole cultivated |x>rtions of the reclainiotl 
ports of the continent. There is a stream here and 
there "ru.shing oVr its iK'hhlcil betl, imjM»,siug silrnce 
with a stilly .sountl." Tiiere are no vast flood.s leaping 
and sparkling from the rugged mountain side. There 
are gulleys, rising grounds, and here and there a 
snugly ensconced villa Imik.s out from an enclosure of 
fruit trees, Ixmring <>n their extende<l arms rich and 
luscious fruit; and often there are tokens of the 
weight they have to bear l)eing too great Fre<iuently 
the roadside is strewn with offerings of their jirodiga- 
lity; hut rarely are tliey Iift«'<l, so profu.se and cheap 
an^ the bounties of romona and so little are they 
rt'ganled. I think the finest rowan tree I ever saw 
was here. It looketl almost one solid mass of red 
from the upper to the lower branches ; it was used as 
an ornament in fnmt of a villa, and was ver)* n " 
on account of the jpiantity <»f IxTries on it, 1 
thing produce*! by the fanner can l»e lK)ught for one 
half the price which is paid for the same articles at 
home, but despite the cheapness people are careful 
and moderate in the use of them. Tliere are evi- 
dences of the extension of trade — new lines of railway 



196 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

are being laid. There is one line called the Doon 
Line, just finishing; but I cannot say whether it will 
run to Ayr or no, which is some 12 miles off. I wanted 
to see Ayr, and Mr Dickie and I took a cariole and 
posted off to see that Scotch colony, and a brother 
clergyman, Mr Thomson, formerly assistant in St 
Andrews, Greenock, and the drive was most enjoyable 
and sweet. When once fairly out the landmarks 
seem to be insufficient for navigation. Through and 
along the waste of woods the roads are wonderfully 
good in some places for a new country. Some por- 
tions have strongly marked corduroy, where a declivity 
gives the water facilities to tear it up during storms. 
Large tracks of land are under cultivation, and farm 
steadings on suitable spots. These steadings are 
mostly built of wood. Some are log huts, strong and 
comfortable within, but rough and homely without. 
A grist mill of considerable pretensions is perched on 
an ample and suitable neighbourhood, close by a 
village with a Dutch name — Amsterdam, I think. 
There are signs of activity about, and the incessant 
whir of machinery within gives faithful note of sturdy 
and honest thrift, and the miller in his well-powdered 
suit outside looks to the disposition of supplies. An- 
other farm and then another forest — the road skirts 
the chequered allocation of the land — we pass tlie 
ruins of Aberdeen, the first city or the nucleus of the 
first city, planted by my friend the Sheriff in honour 



BEKLLN, UPPER CANADA. 197 

of his uatal city, wlu-n ho first went to that far-t.ff 
hiuil a youth, uuil when hu used to |»tt^s ti week in the 
bush without seeing a living being but his dog. This 
is the quiUity of the men who ure wanted to subdue 
the forest and make it blo.ss<^)m like tiie rust — self- 
rvliajit men, who are accustomed to ihiuk for them- 
scives and act for themselves, and who do not stand 
upon the order of doing, but do at once what their 
hands fiml to ilo. whether it is to fell one of these 
l>aLriarchal giants in tiie wood, or lay the foundation 
of a log or clinker-built hut or house, rear the snow- 
pippin, the tomato, or tJie tobacco plant ; rear >ho vine, 
I>otatoes, or jKjidtry ; build a sawmill or hold the 
plough. 

But we have arrived at the hostelry of the old 
I)utchman. a genuine tyi>e of the old roadside iou 
of a hundred years ago. In some resjiecta it resembles 
that of l)irty Dick's in Siioreditch, but the Hurgundy 
is Al at Lloyd's, and t4> |>a.<is without allowing old 
kindly Mynheer to slake the thirst of our {Minting 
Kuceplialus would be ungracious, and nous bmwu 
du bun cin rvuf/e, tfetre en In tiirmr amtlifion comtM 
noire chrval. Tlie fountain is an indisiiensable adjunct 
on a long roiul ; it breaks the journey and mends 
the horses j^ice; it shortens the way by lesf^en- 
ing its monotony, and adds a new relish by change 
of circumstances. Much, I daresay, could be said 
ill favour of those little incisions into the struight 



198 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

line of a highway even of a few hours' journey. We 
are nearing another village, but there is nothing 
which commands attention about it. We have seen 
many of the same kind before, and it is scarcely worth 
while looking at this. There is nothing in the name 
to indicate the race or the people who laid its founda- 
tions. They do not aspire to make themselves a great 
name in the world, and if it has name enough for 
their far-off friends to find them out, they have no 
higher aim to accomplish by it. But now on one side 
a deep ravine appears, and in the distance numerous 
human dwellings rise. " Is that the Doon that's rip- 
pling through the trees?" I said. "No," said my 
friend, " but that is Ayr in front of us." I found, on 
a little inspection, that it was not on account of any 
— even the remotest — resemblance to the old that 
this new Ayr was so called, but from the names on 
the sign-boards one could understand that many of 
the people might have come from Ayr or other parts 
of Scotland. I cannot mind of any place in Scotland 
like to it ; it is purely agricultural in all its aspects, 
and destined, I am afraid, from its position, never to 
surpass any other place in any one feature or enter- 
prise. But its character and prospects may change 
in the event of the iron road passing through it, as 
has often been the case in Canada as well as in our 
own country. We transferred our locomotive power 
to the tender mercies of a homely and kindly -looking 



BERLIS, IPI'Ell CANADA. 199 

etiuerry, and witlmut uny difticulty discovereii the 
home of tl>e young jMUstor. Our visit wiw ni*cfs.s«rily 
brief, being only sulhciently long to enuble us to 
ptirtake of a few of the couifort^i of a njissionury's life 
iu Canada, and a vocal gem of the old country, 
accom]Ninied on the piano, by Mr Thomson, who \» a 
capital singer; and after a kindly adieu, wu luuunteti 
our buggj- and relracetl our way across the ctuiutry to 
Berlin. 



C H A P T E E XV. 



GUELPH AND WATERLOO. 

When I first directed my steps to the novel, peace- 
ful, and rural scenes of these Canadian lands, I had 
no idea of the penalty attached to thus breaking in 
upon the quiet and sunny repose of the people. I 
thought one had just to go and convince himself 
that such lands and prosperous abodes existed, and 
then when that was accomplished to give an indi- 
cation of his mission being done, and pursue the 
uneven tenor of his way to other scenes yet unex- 
plored. This is the manner in which a stranger 
would propose to do, not knowing the character of 
the people among whom he has fallen. To go and 
leave a place in Canada without seeing everybody in 
it, and every place around it, looks like only doing 
half the work; and to leave such a broad and liberal 
land without participating in its spontaneous and 
generous offerings, would be to leave with an unhal- 
lowed and unwarrantable conception of its people's 
character in all matters relating to the entertainment 
of strangers. I have already referred to the exist- 
ence at this time of a Fair going on Guelph, 15 or 16 
miles distant, and at such gatherings the whole 



GUELl'H AND WATKRIXKX 201 

resources and ca|i«bilitics of the country are conceu- 
tratetl and exi>osetl to slmw the projn^'W which is 
going on in the country generally; and that such 
was to be seen was submitted as a sufficiently 
powerful reason why I should prolong the time of 
my snjourn, and go and see what could only be seen 
in Canada, Tlie day was tine, and many were set 
with their faces toward the town of (Juelph. The 
trains were crowdeil, having got well filled up on 
their way from the interior, and when they reached 
the station of Berlin, s|>aco wns at a premium; but 
we got j»acke<l in a |X'r|H>ndicular i><).siti«m, and in a 
short time were tran.sferrttl to our destination. 

Tlie town of Ouelph occupies a rather ))leasant 
]-ositi<»n. It looks well from the cars .-w we juvss 
:ilong. and rises gently on a hill, a small hill, ^jra- 
dually sinking towanls the l>ack part of the t4»wn 
nnd rising again. The stre^-ts are wide an<l air>', but 
io not nin at right angles, but are found to niu in 
»uch clirections as the conKgriration of tlu" land ren- 
ders nwessary. There an? sonu* ver)- nice Imildings, 
l>aiik'^ < hiin hex, and public ofliccs; and iimnui; the 
f>nliniiry sjmi imumi.s «»f domostic arthit<»otun' lluTo is 
unri%'alled variety, which in a place of this kind, and 
set as Ciuelph is, is ver>' agreeable. Kver^'thing 
about it lias the stamp of newness, and nothing 
heemfl to have Hulmi«lefl into the sotth**! iMwition of 
existence. Wo can tall to a dav aluKmt when this 



202 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

place dawned into being, for the first tree which was 
felled when a clearance was made of the forest where 
it now stands was felled by the hand of a great 
man — a man whose history is closely connected 
alike with Guelph and Greenock — I refer to John 
Gait, the novelist, who was appointed by the Canada 
Company to manage the sale of the Crown lands in 
Canada, and went out in 1824, and conducted that 
enterprise for some two years only, as he resigned 
the appointment in 1827, on account of some unfair 
representations made by the Governor of Canada to 
the Board of Directors in London. It is not too 
much to say that likely much of the popularity 
which the place has experienced is due to the selec- 
tion of the place made by a person of such large 
experience and brilliant parts as Mr Gait proved 
himself to be prior to this date; and as an evidence 
of the high respect in which he was held by those 
associated with him in the important work he was 
engaged in, we may notice that the neighbouring 
town of Gait was named for him by his friend the 
Hon. William Dixon, after Mr. Gait had left the 
continent. There is very decided evidence of Guelph 
being a thriving, growing, and prosperous centre, 
from many prominent facts, which the state of the 
town during the fair supported. The town on our 
arrival presented a very animated and odd appear- 
ance. In some four or five of the most capacious 



GLEU'H AXl» WATERLOO. 203 

street*! wero pilwl or fUetl, two or tlireo deep, hun- 
dreds of Imj^gies or carioles, on which the fiinneni in 
the vicinity of the phice had come to the town. 
These of course were all empty and the horses in the 
stalls, and in many instances their owners in the 
hotels enjoyinjjj the n«pite from the solar rays 
befon* jioin^j; to the Kxhibition (Jrounds. This was 
fouml t<» l>e impi'mtive, as the groumls were u con- 
sideralile way otV, and it was best to take something 
-nlwtantial where one was sure of getting it. 

n»e grounds were in the suhurl*8 of the town, in a 
comi>aratively level fielil or succession of liehls. There 
must have lieen several lunulretls of acres. There 
seemeii to lie as much ground as Guelph stood on 
enclosed in ratlier a iKjrmanent character; jx>»sibly 
the ground was kept for the pur|)Ose of their annual 
exhibition. I was somewhat starthnl with the num- 
ber of conveyances I saw on the streets at first, but 
whiMi the number of [Hjoplif who were keeping holiday 

• ■iidd be seen at a glance, one could very easily 

kon tliat many had come by the trains as well, and 
that tlie vehicles, I think, only indicatixl those who 
lios-sv-Hsed the land in the remoter placty*. where 
railway connuunication wa.n <ittV>ctilt t«> get at. In the 
centre of the great space wiis erect«l a largo wixHlen 
building; permanent too, I presume, for a wooden 

* lilding there indicates {lennanency as much as a 

•ue one would du here. It hioke«l well suited for 



204 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

the purpose to which it was devoted. Tlie centre 
was ample, and had galleries which were reached by 
several stairs, and the visitors promenaded these and 
could see all that was passing or going on in the 
lower part of the Eotunda, which was allocated for 
the exhibition of musical instruments, pianos, and 
melodians; and as there was always a profusion of 
sweet sounds ascending, hundreds were wont to bathe 
their senses by letting them creep into their ears. This 
part of the Exhibition was strangely foreign to the rest, 
which embraced everything connected with agricul- 
ture — Canadian agriculture. In the first department 
what referred to or was useful in laying the forest 
bare — the uprooting of trees, cutting, barking, fencing, 
draining, ploughing, hutting, digging, hoeing — in fine, 
everything which the primary condition of the land 
demands. And there were many beautiful specimens 
of agricultural machines and implements, and they 
were all the w^ork of mechanics and artists in the 
province. Then, in the second place, there was the 
finished work — that which the husbandman had 
brought back rejoicing, the reward of his labour and 
his toil and his waiting in hope, and these were classed, 
and each had its place in one of four annexes which 
ran out from the central building, and divided some- 
thing like tliis — the dairy, the garden, and the field, 
the first being devoted to agricultural implements 
as I have already noticed. In referring to the garden, 



GUEU'H AND WATERIXH). 205 

I may as well say that only the useful of that dt'iMirt' 
ment was there. Flora I trough t no oflerin^ to that 
teui|>lo. but the p<»n»ol<>j;ical display was worthy of 
that liotldess whose robes are always deckeii with 
luscious and golden fruits, and whose smiles are lit up 
with sunlnmins as she conies with her coniucopia 
replete with bounties from her fertile lx»wera. 

It is not at all needful for me to specify the kinds 
of pr<Kluce which iKcupieil the l>enthes. Everyone 
knows, from what 1 have indicatetl. that mountains 
of all the good things of the earth were there in their 
most savoury and attractive fonu, but piles of butter 
and cheese alongsiile of pilrs of pianos Ji»oked u little 
iMcnii^Tuous and out of tune; but in places like this, 
when* there are only stiitutorj- periotls of bringing 
together the people and the various products of the 
country, we cannot ex|>c*ct to find a delicacy and 
retin'Muent atfectin;; the amiu^^entent ^uch as wu see 
at home in exhibitions of any magnitude. In the 
hehl outside of the central building there was a 
magnificent display of everything which lives and 
moves and has its txting on that |>art of the earth 
in connection with jMiMtoral life. Held - work and 
j>oidtr>-. Aloiij' the line or confines of the immense 
enclosure wen* HxjhJ and |»ortabh' domiciles for the 
winged tribes, from a few inches to three or four feet 
-n size, and the variety of kindM, coloure, and form 
' ••re something bewildering, and wert* quite consonant 



206 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

witli the babel of sounds with which they were striv- 
ing to regale the crowds who were admiring their 
qualities. The classification of the kinds and sizes, 
to a very casual observer, was at once evident, and it 
was observable that in this part of the Exhibition to 
effect sales was as much aimed at as prize-taking, for 
numbers of the lots were specified as sold, and I 
presume that the commercial as well as the competi- 
tive feature applied to the entire round of the business 
of the field. It is not possible to detail the extent of 
all that was open for visitors, for every class of stock 
had a representative here, and would have afforded an 
opportunity to a person fully conversant with the 
subject to dilate on the merits or demerits of any one 
to his heart's content; but I cannot speak of what I 
saw with anything like authority, further than what 
may be regarded as an echo of the generally expressed 
voice of those who were presumably acquainted with 
what was going on. Nor were competition and 
business the only features of the field; while the 
older heads were engaged in what was likely to be a 
source of profit, the juvenile, the irrepressible and 
volatile exuberance of youth, had its side of the field 
allotted to it, and from which there was one continuous 
stream of screams of laughter and joyous sounds — 
hobby-horses, merry-go-rounds, and all the inspiring 
mechanism and attractions for the young mind in 
holiday times. On a wooden structure, above the 



CIELTU ASH WATKRIXX). 207 

hoads or the sui^ug crowds of Iiunum beiiif^s, was 
pt-rchetl on instruiuentul Wud. diHcoursin^ iimsic for 
the pleasure of thtise who wrre I'lijovin^' the pro- 
nuMiiulo in the oj>en park, so that the souiuls in the 
iirld were as varied as the animals exixjsed in the open 

r, or the products in the building. On the one side 

e had the shrill and lively treble from the youthful 
..;id jubilant crt>\vds. and from the stalls we luul the 
litful and oct'ai5if)nrtl sfipnino and deej) biiAs fn)m the 
full and tremulous iHjvine throats. On the other 
parts of the grounds the judges were busy giving their 
awanls, %vhilst Taurus, in his impetuous temi)er. with 
tlaming eye and restless limb, scuwle<l the inquisitive 

ritics from his sitle. 
On the side of the field near to the entrance was a 
w(X)den house of a ver)' tcni|»orary character for the 
-de of refreshments. Kvery thing was there which 

as likely to be wanted ; but the cup which intoxi- 

' not lie fouml on the pn • ' was 

ly to Ix? found there, for t; nent 

iis altogether in the hands of the Young Men's 
' hri.Htian Association of the town of (tuelph. and 

ley had their colours nailed to the camp, tent, shod, 
itnd a v<Tv amount of bu>«ines« 

irtHigh by .1 le uuiuUt of young 

Mon and young ladies, who gave indubitable pnwfs 
. f their muscular Christianity by the fervid and un- 
remitting application to the work tliat was over- 



208 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

whelming them at times. I may just remark in 
passing that this is an example which gives us the 
reason why these associations in America are so 
wealthy. It is surprising the property they possess 
in some places in the States especially, and we can 
see that a repetition of the labour such as I have 
referred to would place in a short time a considerable 
sum m their hands ; for that is doubtless the object 
they have in view, so that they may carry out effec- 
tively the great work they have in connection with 
their organization, and in reference to which their 
labours before referred to are subsidiary and subordi- 
nate. When a person from this country mingles as I 
did on that occasion with such a multitude of human 
beings, and in the capacity of enjoyment seeking, he 
is disposed to think there is something out of joint, 
when he does not observe the almost universal symp- 
toms of joyous activity and wild and frantic gesticu- 
lation and vociferation and clamorous tumult which 
accompany holiday observation at home. Although 
there was nothing intoxicating sold in the exhibition 
grounds, the hotels were accessible by all on that day, 
but despite the opportunities and facilities for getting 
the intoxicating cup I don't remember one case of 
drunkenness nor an approximation to it. I may say 
at the same time I am unable to submit a substantial 
reason for this state of things. We have the ocular proof, 
but whether in a scientific point we are to look at it 



GUKLPH AND WATKRLOO. 209 

m rvlation to social econoraia*, natural philosophy, or 
luonU science, is a question which would nHjuiit? 
more than a few days' residence aiuon;; them to solte 
suthciently. It is, however, a gratify int^ matter to see 
th.it S4> many are able in utrieji to secure 

enj'-yiuent without haviu to an undue 

amount of slimulantM. I don t wisli, however, that 
any one shoidd supjiose tliat because there were none 
of these noLsy demonstrations observable, there was 
any want of enjoyment or the least evidence of that 
state of thing>«. There was none of tliat stoHd Teutonic 
^(ravity to U* s^^en, but a healthy and fresh uxpressioa 
of sensible enjoyment. 

These exhibitions are continued during the fall of 

the year in the princi|>al places in Cana<la that are 

frn>Ht a(/ri«'idtural districts or centri'S, as (tuelpli, 

.ri.H, and other pliices which are ttuilablu 

; the puqMise for which they are int«Midod, 

and, as I have indicated, they ore of a ilouble charucter 

— Uie promotion generally of tigricultunU interuHls, by 

afloplinv' facihties of more extendinl cuItuM of land 

It' aid for enjoyment ail' i •n. I d«i 

u iiat the Canatlian i.h>\ ^ivus sucli 

facilities for the promotion of agriculture a« is done 

in the United States. On the other luuid, I did not 

ascertain tliat in the Stat4M such great duntnil (tdr» 

• as in CanadiL In the 

I ireau of Agriculture at the 



210 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

City of Washington, the fullest facilities are afforded 
to farmers in every part of the Union by means of 
statistics published at the Government printing offices, 
and at the Government expense, in relation to every 
branch of agricultural industry, and reference to 
matters which can get no prominence at fairs, and 
such as can only be discussed in serials that' are sent 
out to the remotest parts of the States, and bearing 
on all phases of land labour. On leaving the grounds 
very many took advantage of the means provided 
by a host of eager and voluble car-drivers, who 
rightly judged that a few hours' round in the park 
was likely to tire the most indefatigable, and necessi- 
tate his transportation to the town in some other way 
than walking. And the scene at the gate was 
remarkably animated, and we felt that a change of 
attitude or posture would restore the equilibrium of 
our motive power, but nothing beyond that, for the 
entire equipage savoured of rustic simplicity to a 
degree that could only be equalled in some remote 
spot in the country. But to aim at anything of a 
more exalted type would have shown an error in the 
circumstances, and our inability to adapt ourselves to 
the inevitable condition of the time and place — an 
imperative duty imposed on all who would reckon 
themselves 'capable of taking their place by the side 
of those who are masters of the situation in Canada. 
They all stoop to conquer who come to this great 



Gl'ELPH AND WATERLOO. 211 

la\nd. and those who gnin the mural crown are tlioao 
who have made Uie greatest breach in the deep and 
broail forest wall which opposes them in ''"•''• -fTorta 
to subjugate the land. 

Tlie condition of fJuelph in the evemn^ w.is what 
one would natunilly i'X{>ect — much hihirity iind buoy- 
ancy of spirits manifesteil by the junior jwrtion of 
those who were engaged in pleasure seeking. Dur- 
ing the day I was under the guidance, direction, 
and control uf my young clerical frieml. nn«l our 
friend Sheriff David.son. whom we casually met in 
• iuelph, thought that I should trnnsft-r myself to his 
are for a portion of the evening, jis he was sure I 
Nvoultl not be liable to the same privation that I was 
■ 1 ti) on the previous iMirt of the day, 
;ie cpmlity of the hospitality of Le 
Jfutu J'nstfiirwoxM lU'ceH-yirily N»stmine«l,and he was 
anxious that I »h«)uld Iw r<dieve<l from any unfavour- 
able tcntlency in that direction. Tliere was much 
-tir at the hot^ds, much talk, no dotibt, aUnxi the suc- 
. .-fls or failtm* of com|x«titor8 ; but as it was just 
nliout sunwt when we left. I am <mabl« to say any- 
thing of the a.si>nct of things at a late hour. There 
A ere hurryings to antl fro. Tho station was crowded 
" y many like ourselves, anxious for the first train, for 
•Imro is an evident and d«'lil»iTato ePTort mailo to have 
iv'h work ilone by the time the sha«les of evening 
around them. But by that time we werv on 



212 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

our way to our destination, and in a short time we 
were at the station at Berlin, and were accompanied 
home by a similarly lively throng as I had seen on 
the night of my first arrival. These fairs create a 
consideiable stir and excitement in the country, for 
as soon as the one is finished the other begins. I 
cannot mind whether it was the fair at London, 
Hamilton, or Paris, which was next in order ; but the 
fair succeeding that at Guelph must have been con- 
sidered of more importance, as one train which passed 
up had one or more immigrant cars filled with Indians 
who were on their way to expose their wares for sale. 
There was nothing of the kind at Guelph exjDosed in 
the central building, which was the only suitable 
place for^loing so. If the pianos were the production 
of a house in Guelph, then there was nothing at tlie 
exhibition but the production of the district. I know 
there is a warehouse in the town, and most likely 
they are made there ; and if so there might have been 
a reason for excluding work such as the Indians bring 
in for sale, not for competition. 

On the west of Berlin there is a little and likewise 
a thriving place called Waterloo. The road from 
Berlin to it is very good, and there are some good 
houses, possessed by gentlemen who have their busi- 
ness in Waterloo or Berlin. The central portion of 
the place is compact, and has some good shops well 
stored. I had arranaed with the Sheriff to drive 



GlEU'H ASH WATKkLOO. 213 

•ver the most interesting portion of this part of the 

L.miitn-, and we devotetl Satiinlay afternoon to the 

I.-iri«»se. On our arrival at the town or village we 

had an opjjortunity of discovering svveral intcn'sting 

tV-atures that, had I been alone, I would not have 

-ceu. The first spot of interest we were asked to 

:he sunk storey of one of the uuiplest 

in the place, which wa^i furnished 

'ith a succession of rows of c^sks, which bore the 

imracteristic inark.s of having come from the south 

f France, and whose age and excellence were 

worthy tlu; uttoution of s<!vere critics like what wo 

wtT" AVo siti>>lie«l ourselves that the mu-tlt-rir Wivs 

It was represented to l>e ; and thus fortified, we 

.:.. I forth to see the plains of Waterloo. I had 

>ieu graai tracts of land liefore this, but the land 

l.y wlii, !i ■ ' .. ,• . y . I .,, in 

(.•..!..!: : ine<l 

ud COUlJKiCt I'.i u it 

OS lay thou "Win i -wW- 

\vell-fence<l. and in nuuiy instanceH wcll- 

' * ' : .ps had all been hoUHoii 

of Imliau corn hore and 



with tall treus rising up to the skies, and the sUenoe 
>f which is something fearfol. and on ' ' ' ' i 



214 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

stray cow's bell tinkling for miles off. These bells 
are hung round their necks, so that they can be 
found in the woods, should they chance to go in that 
direction, and are the only means of discovering the 
cattle should they stray far from their accustomed 
haunts. All the crops are stored inside; there is 
nothing left out, and hence the necessity for those 
immense barns one continually sees surrounding the 
farm steadings. The roads were all good over the 
entire route. 

The houses were chiefly wood, whether they are 
farm steadings or ordinary dwellings. The principal 
apartments in ordinary dwellings have no fireplace, 
and when the weather necessitates the introduction 
of the stoves, they are set down in any part of a 
room; and the pipes are placed in such a manner 
that by running them through the roof they heat all 
the apartments upstairs in houses of more than one 
flat, and sometimes the pipes pass along the length 
of a room before they enter the apartment above, 
and by this means the whole heat is utilised, and 
the entire house heated by one fire. The air in the 
country here has nearly the same quality as it has at 
home. When one has moved along in it for a few 
hours it inspires him with a disposition to think of 
the felicitous relationship that exists between such 
healthy enjoyment and the gastronomical attractions 



GlEU'H AND WATKKl/X). 215 

of the dinner table, and when we arrivetl at Forrest- 
hill, the chuteuu of SherifT DuvidHon, we gave his 
gootl lady tangible proofs of how much we had 
tiijoyed our visit to the village and |>lains of 

Wut.-rl,,,, 



CHAPTER XVI. 



TORONTO AND THE LAKE OF A THOUSAND ISLANDS. 

As I have already stated, my object in going into 
the interior of Upper Canada was just to take a 
fleeting and transitory glance at this land and the 
life of its people, and, so to speak, return with the 
next train ; but, instead, I managed to spend four days 
or so replete with every sort of warm and kindly 
inducement calculated to make my stay longer. But 
there are times when one finds it necessary to make 
a strong effort to disengage himself from the potent 
and subtle influence which even kindness exercises 
over time; and though it entails a considerable 
amount of pain, it is only "like," as Sterne has it, "a, 
cut across the flnger," sharp and decisive, and imme- 
diately time begins to promote the cure. There is no 
doubt that the parting of friends interferes for the 
time with the consolidated amount of pleasure derived 
from their society; but a person on the move has 
greater facilities of shaking himself free of that than 
one who cannot enjoy the varying changes which 
tend so much to secure it. The parting at a Canadian 
railway station, I dare say, proves often to be a very 
protracted affair, on account of what I have already 



TORONTO, ETC. 217 

stated in connection with the irT«»«;Mlarity of the trains. 
Tt was so in niy rase, nn<l what a ]iaiiifn] lm<*in«'fts to 
k.«oj) two yonnjj ladies, and alonj,' with them u I'urhelor 

f divinity, for one whoh» hour, lookin«j at the "waifs 

lud strays" which are seen in the vicinity of such 
] laces. But it is sndden at last, for the arrival of 
tlie iron horse cuts short all intermission — a hriof 
ailiou, one step from the platform to the car, a fitful 
]iuff an<l a scream, and away we are, bound to the 
Upper Canadian capital np»in. 

When the train arrives in Toronto in tinie there is a 
" ' the tnivolh'r whether he will go by 
-1 hy the (".mud Tniuk in the evening 
to Kin_'^!<>n or Montreal. Primarily it was my inten- 
tion to take the steamer and sail through Lake Ontario, 
and then down the St. Tiiwrence; but as my train was 
ui hour behind. I had the felicity of seeing my Ht<»amer 
ill the offing by the tinje I got to the pier, and by 

•ich miniidventure I got a few hours to l«K»k at 
I'oronto. and I was not wirrj' of it after all. as the 

^•ening train overtakes the steamer at Kingston at six 
on the following moniing. and it is only at that point 
th»» 1a\(>* of the TliouHtmd T«lnnd« luinn** nnd now, 
^ rtaineil my ex U to 

•rs and time. 1 i the 

1 rection of the "Queen's." which looks out upon the 
< 'ike, with :' 'V of windows, 

dl loval : in an* treated 



218 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

and refreshed in a happy, homely, and courteous 
manner by one who was at one time a denizen of 
Greenock, and where, hesitating whether I shouki 
first enter or view the city, I was deprived of settling 
on my own account, for at that instant I was met by 
Mr M'Dougall, from Berlin, who had preceded me in 
the early train, and who insisted I should occupy his 
apartments at the " Queen's," and be his guest till the 
train in the evening started. To this proposal I 
could not hesitate; and I accepted it in the very 
spirit in which it was made. So far as I could see or 
judge, the arrangements at this hotel were very similar 
to what they are in the States. The house is large, 
and had been increased lately, and I think is the first 
in the city. After practically testing the quality and 
the amenities of the table cVhote, Mr M'Dougall, an- 
other gentleman and myself, U7i tiers d'ccossais, sallied 
out to see the lions of the city. There was much to' 
see and little time to overtake the whole, but, with 
the assistance of a charioteer who knew the city well, 
we got over the most interesting sights before the 
shades of evening descended on us. 

As I indicated before Toronto stands on a low 
lying plateau, which extends in a pretty uniform level 
as far as the rampant-like land in a line with the mouth 
of the Niagara river, some thirty miles or so ; and a 
very marked and obvious distinction exists between 
the land in these localities. In looking out upon the 



TORONTO, ETC. 219 

lake you feel as if tlie land and water were uytou the 
saiue level, and any rise or elevation in the city is 
ver}' j::entle and scarcelv recognisable as one moves 
alon<,'. So far as n»y memory serves me the same 
tendency which exists in all towns and cities is 
obser>'able here. The bulk of business is conducted 
and carried on in the east, and the west end is appro- 
priated for sites of handM>nie mansions, public insti- 
tutions, and ground for various kinds of recreation. 
In the ea»t are some ver)' splemlid public offices and 
warehouses of stone, brick, and granite; and the busi- 
ness aspect of the locality is calculated to remind 
you of some of our largo cities at home, for some t»f 
the buildings might take }M>sition or stand com)>arison 
with some of the Glasgow jtublic otlices, and in these 
localities there are the incessant stir and bustle which 
you see in similar places at home. 

The main street and some of the chief streets 
running' from it are tlanke<l by H(»me very fine 
buildings, and some of the shojw are e<jual t«» those 
of liuchanan Street in (ilasgow, but these arc by no 
means numerous, and they are fitly poised in'tweeu 
and 111 the vicinity of otJiurs which give them all the 
eO'' t wliuli they merit on account of their anhiloc- 
tural cliT.'uiii-e an«l 8U|H:rior finish luid attractionH. The 
general aj)|ject of the placv is Scotch, and when the 
usual Htir is in tlie streets, and num Iters prtimuiiading 
the public thoroughfares, and tlio tramway cars guiug. 



220 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

one feels as if lie were walking in some Scotch town. 
But in the suburbs it is not so; there is an admixture 
of the Scotch, Canadian, and American noticeable in 
the streets and villas. The wooden pavements, public 
walks, disposition of the grounds, and the arborial 
surroundings and the general amenities of the whole, 
are not strictly consonant with what one sees in the 
interior, and hence one is led to infer that the business 
spirit which moves and regulates the weightier mat- 
ters of the place is Scotch, and the subordinate are a 
mixture, representative of the countries named. 
The public buildings are all worthy of being noticed — 
I mean the exterior — and I doubt not but the interiors 
are not belied by what is seen on the outside crust. I 
had not an opportunity of seeing many, but these may 
safely be taken as an indication of the quality of the 
others. The chief or principal of these are beautiful 
specimens of the styles of architecture they represent, 
and the spires of some are highly ornamental to the city, 
being floriated Gothic, and light in their construction. 
I do not think it necessary to mark out any one, for 
there is certainly a combination of merit which 
induces one to think or suppose that nothing but a 
commendable spirit of competition could have effected 
so much to speak of the public spirit and enterprise 
of the inhabitants of the place. 

The Post Office is a plain, capacious, and substan- 
tial buildincT, and must have been in existence for 



TORONTO, ETC. 221 

some years, and Iiob all the a]>])earance of Wing 
caj^il lo of earning on tlie busint'ss of the city for 
many years to come, and the general ihanuter of it 
was evidence of the decided enterprise of the place, 
and in a business ])oint coroiAntl favourably with 
other places I had visited in relation to this branch 
of i>ublic enteri>ris('; for in Washington, I1iila<l« Iphia, 
Baltiniore, New York, and Montreul, th«r»' \\\U' new 
Poet Ofhces in course of erection, nntl all magniticeut 
buildings, but none of the old Post Otlicos were &\ub1 
■■> the Post Oftice in Toronto, and this fact, I think, 
indicates a sj»irit of enterprise ahead of the places I 
have nanieil. 

The principal building in Toronto is the University, 

a new and massive public building situated in the 

Queen's Park to the extreme west of the city, ond 

j>roniiM-.s ample facilities for students of law, physic, 

«»r divinity. The site is one worthy of the College, and 

he btiiltling is worthy of the site, but the staircase, 

lass-rooms, and lecture halls are scantily lighte«l with 

. dim and insufficient light, giving the whole interior 

a very dull and cpie.stionable look. The museura. 

which is yet in embr)«», jiMmiw- to «np]»ly a want 

^hich is of great ini]Mirtan(-(> to tl in a new 

•untry and to the intelligent in , ntellectual 

!'>creation. Tlie grounds which surround the Uni' 

\ iT»ity are ample, well laid f»ut, m ' " !.U«d with 

.1 fine array of trees. Tlie avem; . lod to Iw 



222 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

called magnificent; the grounds being level, and the 
trees being placed and disposed with great care, give 
them a look similar to those at Hampton Court or 
Windsor Avenue. In a prominent part of the park 
there is a statue of the Queen, an indispensable 
feature in all Canadian places of any magnitude, for 
British Americans cannot suffer that their loyalty 
should be questioned for a moment, and it is some- 
times amusing to note and hear their expressions of 
devotion to the Crown. This applies to the Upper 
Canadian districts; in the lower there are so many 
subjects of a foreign potentate that a neutralising 
effect is produced in the hearty expressions of their 
loyalty, and this state of things may be found indis- 
pensible ^our preserver la jjnix. 

Toronto is the seat of the Superior Law Courts, 
and these are concentrated in Osgood Hall, a sub- 
stantial stone building not far from one of the en- 
trances to Queen's Park. It is Grecian in style of 
architecture, and is enclosed by an iron railing, and 
surrounded with gardens of some extent and taste- 
fully kept. I was a little surprised on entering to 
find indications of what I had failed to discover in 
the majority of American places. The interior of the 
hall or court was a succession of what one might expect 
in the Law Court in the British Metropolis. The in- 
terior architecture of the building was a material ma- 
nifestation of a determination to make the city a centre, 



TORONTO, rrc. 223 

distinguished by many types of what has its exis- 
tence in the old eountn'. One couKI scarcely K'lieve 
li«.' was in a buiMiii^ in upjKT Canmla. There were 
wide and capacious staircases, bjilconies, and land- 
ings, with majestic |iillnrs 8upi>orting elalxtrately 
dccoratetl friezes, capitals, and cuiK>las, with parapet 
and s<*reens and richly stiiiniHl-^la-ss windows. Walls 
hung with the jK)rtraits of numemus meinK'rs of the 
l»ar, and snowy-hcjided judges who had passetl from 
the scene of their labours. The libraries were ex- 
tensive, antl the rooms were large and replete vrith 
everything that wouKl indicate julvancoment and 
comfort. The ofTjcials were respectably attire^l, and 
the older head^ lookeil grave and severe, antl there 
was an nri.stiKratio air of iin|)ortance an<l re8j>fcta- 
bility jwrvading the whole oflicial life and tmppinf^ 
of the Courts. The place wore a quiet as{>ect at the 
time we visited it, but there were no symptoms to 
show tlmt our visit was in the least annoying to any 
^if the gentlemen of the bar. 

In one part of the city th^ro is a stnicturo which 
in quite unique, and inspires a stranger, at his first 
glance of it, with a dis|>f>sition to inquire as to it« 
use. It in quite a .sj)pciin»'n <»f nistic archit»'cturo, 
and is use<l for aJ /rf.<u-o concerts during the Miiinmer 
ason. It is built wholly of the woo<| of young 
•■es with the Imrk left on, and in armngiHl in all 
: te fantastic ways in which it is poMiblo to put it 



224 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

together. The band and the audience are inside of 
this, which protects them from the heat, and the 
openings allow the gentle breezes to distil through 
them and cool the listeners within. The gTounds all 
round are planted with a fine display of all kinds of 
flowers, and the space for promenading is consi- 
derable, and what with the music from the inside 
of this curiously planned Indian temple, and the 
various attractions to the eye w'ithout, the visitors 
must enjoy themselves during their stay, while the 
concert season lasts. The ground here was rather 
limited in extent, for there was nothing beyond that 
of a public garden intended. The park which I 
have already referred to being the most suitable for 
any imposing public demonstration. Indeed, all 
American cities are provided with ample public 
parks, and the extent of many is nearly equal to the 
Phoenix Park in Dublin, and on this point there is 
evidently an obvious aim at competition going on in 
the cities of the New World. 

I cannot venture on one single remark in refer- 
ence to this city in a social point, for by the time we 
had driven round and glanced at what I have re- 
ferred to, the quiet grey sober shades of evening 
■were settling fast, and we were obliged to make our 
liotel the next point of interest, and this I found 
very indispensable previous to undertaking a long 
journey by rail. Mr M'Dougall and I were just 



TORONTO, ETC. 22o 

seatetl when we were joinetl ly Mr Alexander Mac- 
kenzie, a well known Sc(»tcluiian. and who wiu* at 
this time leuilcr of the (>|t|Mi>iti<m in the Caniulian 
Parliament , and who has since Income the Premier 
of the l)ominion of Canada. I wa^i very glad to 
make the acquaintance of a brother countr}'man who 
had ili.Htinguished himself and raiseil himself to such 
an eminent position. He seems to carrj- his honours 
easily, Mkv every |Mitriot who has devoted a lifetime 
in the interests of the land of his adoption. After 
leaving the " Queens " and bidding good-bye to my 
Berlin friend, I hail the pleasure of having sonic con- 
versjttion with the .^otch Canadian statesman at the 
Grand Tnink Kailway Station, as we were Ijoth 
waiting the same train, which was an hour or more 
behind time. But it waa not on the " North Pacifio 
Scandal " or any of the great questions afTccting the 
British American Dominion, but on the notorious 
eminence which .^otlaml had attaine^l in connection 
with ilrunkenness, and one can easily ctmreive that 
all well thinking and all well living .Scotchmen 
abroiul, must feel diwply the (Mlium that it attachi's 
to the land of their birth, and which is now almant 
passing into pMvurb. I had v- 

ing that the conversati«>n n\ i>v 

a jxr^.n — who wa.H ihi? thirtl i had »ecn tqwy in 
Amurjc.i — Ntumbling nulely forwanl to let n»y com- 
panion know that be knew who ho was. I cannot 



226 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

say that tlie inebriate was a Scotclimau. It is possi- 
ble, however, that he was, and was anxious to give a 
glowing and fervid display of his national pride in 
the recognition and success of his countryman ; but 
the strength and effervescence of his feelings and in- 
spiration deprived him of the necessary and happy 
medium of speech, and possibly he thought that a 
still tongue would evince a greater amount of wis- 
dom than any eloquence which he could command 
in his felicitous condition. 

I have already referred to everything of interest 
in connection with the Grand Trunk Eailway, and 
cannot recall anything worthy of notice which oc- 
curred between the capital of Upper Canada and the 
little town of Kingston, where we arrived, after 
a run of over IGO miles, about half-an-hour before 
the steamer which left Toronto at mid-day the day 
before. At Kingston begins all that is attractive on 
the passage from Toronto to Montreal. This station 
is virtually the head of the lake of a thousand 
islands, and is as near as possible half-way between 
these places. The lake itself is a sight of intense 
interest on account of its fertility in rich romantic 
grandeur. Its pleasant and variegated scenery is 
the ideal of all that is grand in any part of creation. 
To pass through its fairy islands, by its limpid and 
rippling streams, over its surging and impetuous 
rapids, and its glassy bays; to look upon the sylvan 



TORONTO, ETC 227 

rtlcoves of the flouting itilaiuls, with the venlaut aDii 
rich friiigeu of vejiftat; .1 on tht* crystal 

watore OS the steamer j .'Ay alung the tor- 

tuous anil seqKMitine avenues, whiles imrrowiug to 
the breadth of the stoaiuor, aiui sometimes cxjxind- 
ing into the size of a tiny oceiin, ^^ith their excitiog 
currents and lx»iling ami seething !UxhIs, afford a 
succession of most desirable enjoyiuents on the i>a8- 
sage down to the great outlet at the Island of Mon- 
tri-al. 

When we arrivetl at Kingston the morning waa 
<uiU, grey, ami cheerless ; a mist was hanging around 
the margin of the lake, and the westerly wind was 
ilriviug the surf over the pitT, un«l the ]Nissengeni 
were crowdcil into a wotxleu Iwx, which did duty aa 
a waiting room, and the tout etuenibie was similar to 
what oi: 1 <s on a Highland loch on a morning 

with I' : , weather. A genenU gl«M)m over- 

cast the expiwaiun of the tourists, for as charming 
weather transmutes the lake into a liquid iNiruilise, so 
does the reverse transmute the ploasuro-sockerv into 
Its miMruhltA, but a broad bold gleam of golden light 
burst through the clouds before we got well out of the 
lake into the St. Iawp i ; ami by-andbje 

we were basking in tli- y of a fairy scene, 

and the lovely |>anoninm began to wove and rt^^edo, 
disclosing an unemling succession of seemingly float- 
ing and varied islands, some cloUiwl witli oom^ioct. 



228 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

leafy, and shady bowers ; some were tiny objects not 
much bigger than a good imte ch famille, and others, 
rejoicing under the full culture of the farmer's skill. 
The banks were almost of a uniform height, and great 
trees marked the confines of the Yankees' territory. 
Broad and ample farms, the neat cottage, and the log 
hut alternately dotted the landscape, and now and 
again a tributary stream sent in its water to swell the 
floods. At intervals some one of the minor rapids 
was passed, gradually initiating the expectant and 
living freight of the steamer for the crowning effort 
of the skipper's skill to take his craft safely across Ics 
grande rapides. At almost every point in the river 
where rapids occur, on the banks there are canals 
for the safer passage of all kinds of vessels. Mills 
and public works of various kinds are here and 
there on the river's side, and by-and-bye we arriN'e 
at Ogdensburg, a place of some importance, with 
its railway connecting Lake Champlain with the 
St. Lawrence, and on the British banks of the river 
Prescott connects with Ottowa, and the Grand Trunk 
scours along close by the river on to Montreal. AVe 
have passed over several rapids, and as night begins 
to approach we arrive at a small French settlement 
called Cotcau du Lac, where the steamer takes in a 
fresh supply of wood to keep up the steam ; and we 
enter the canal and we learn that the captain cannot 
run the grand rapids. The water in the river is low, 



uul tlio attempt would be hazardous, and tho sensa- 
on not worth tJie risk incumii. WV try to console 
aniclves nt the tea-table, and in any other refuge at 
lUiiuand. ami anon wo commit ourselves to the quiet 

itorie^ beluw, and glide into oblivion to 

. air of 

" Itow, )in>ther, n>w, the •troain nuui f»»t. 
Tlio nipicLi aro dcju-. but the lUylight't |NMrt." 

And whon wi* awokn in tho n»oniin^» w« were nnugly 

^ ; 11 run to 



CHAPTEK XVII. 



THE CITY OF MONTKEAL — LOWER CANADA. 

One cannot approach this part of the country with- 
out having feelings akin to those which would natu- 
rally possess him were he en ro2ite to the Holy 
Land, and the nearer he approaches the more strongly 
does he feel that the first settlers were surely a people 
of sternly pious proclivities, for many of the places, 
and anything which necessitates the possession of a 
name, are named after some saint, whose family or 
existence nobody knows anything about. The places 
all along one short line of railway are called, without 
exception, after a whole string to them, and one does 
in spite of his better judgment feel as if he were in 
a rare atmosphere, and breathes, lives, and moves in 
an odour of peculiar sanctity. On some of tlie 
islands are to be seen, on those parts where the 
water is eternally lashing against, and naturally 
where danger is sure to overtake the incautious 
boatman, smaU crosses which, I presume, are in- 
tended to accomplish by virtue of superstitious means, 
what persons of greater success would secure by the 
adoption or application of scientific agencies. How- 
ever, these are evidence of a dove-like and simple 



THE CITY OF MOXTREAL. '2M 

faith, which would bu inatcritUly enhauceil hy an 
adilitiou ur a little of tlie wisdom of the serpent. 

Tlie site of Moiitrual in one of ^Teat lieauty and in- 
t-rest. The mountAin, after which tlie island and 
city are allied, riseii up a:." \x'T the whole 

land, with isolutcni and iuij ity, and forms 

a suitable and majestic background to a uu^fiiiticent 
city, where there are many splendid aud gor^jeoua 
temples and institutions, wliich besjteak the large 
hpartiiinesa and liberality of the donors. On laml- 
in^' from the steamer in the momin;» I was not 
favourably impr«*sod by the Hrst l«H»k I got of the 
stn-'iH in the immediate vicinity of my landing 
pl.i . !• was with difticulty one can cross from 
th.- -•. '.Til. r t.. th.- ,Mb with. ■!;! 'j-'ttin ' ''the 

baM'- n.; i '^'> .':. V'l'-' ii '■'■■'■ < !»:;!'■ "l- • • oro 

floiMlitl, and fnmi its uni%'ersal prejurucc umuiid the 
whoTNea it looked as if it were an indisiHiisablo 
though unseemly covering to tliat part of the public 
1.; AfUsT breakfast my Hrst xnsit iK'as to the 

I. . grt an idea of the extent of the trade at 

thu diK:k», harljours. or whar\*es, and as the nun liod 
risen with a burning boat, I fi-lt a litllf clmry to 
proceed along the breast or qua}**, for the flood of 
thi.t black mud was Rending up one continuous cloud 
nf viijMiur ami my coiitiuMiity to it bred in me stis- 

t as the mufl 
• aud sauitAry 



232 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

proceeding was to get away from its influence until 
the sun liad absorbed these vile exhalations into a 
higher region. 

The day was bright, and clear, and well suited for 
seeing the country, and in a short time, as I retreated 
from the river side, I found myself standing at the 
side entrance to the Cathedral of Notre Dame, and 
in a few minutes after on the top of one of its 
towers, from which a splendid view of the city 
and the vicinity is got ; and if one can form an idea 
of the extent to which it is taken advantage of 
from the state or condition of the stairs, a very 
good revenue must be received. In the tower which 
is used for this purpose — for there are two — there is 
an immense bell of enormous vibratory power, and I 
think it has the dates of its birth and baptism 
recorded on it, but it is seldom used. The pinnacle 
of the temple is rather a dizzy height; but there are 
ample safeguards surrounding, so that one can sit 
and enjoy the extensive panorama with comfort and 
repose. The extent of the city can be seen at a 
glance — its palaces and towers, and the domes of 
churches, and convents. The Hotel Dieu, the 
princely mansions on the higher base of Mount 
Royal, the Reservoir, the terraces and spacious drives, 
the river and tributaries, scouring along in frantic 
ebullitions past the shipping at the harbour, the 
Victoria Tunnel, si^anuing the banks of the St. Law- 



THE CTTY OP SIONTRE.VL. 238 

nnce, ami joining; Hritisli Amcriia with the States 
on the other si«li'. and rarrvin^' the tide of connner- 
cial life across the opjiosite continent, from the 
\tlantic side to the shores of the North l*acific. 
The advantages which are possesstnl by Montreal 
r the prosecution of a jirosperous trade ore seen at 
once by any one who notes hr! ■ al ix>ai- 

tion, and the advantages of river ■ that her 

facilities are oi)en. continuous and steady; and with 
an active and enterjirising |>opulation, her growth 
and material prosperity should exceinl the aipitol of 
l»wer Canada. There is incontrovertible evidence 
of an amount of trade going on among the Hhi|)])ing, 
but a city of nearly a hundre<l thousand inhabitants 
necessitates a lar)^e trade fur its own neccjisitieji. I 
do not say that is the extent of its trade, but a per- 
son going from enterprising places like Ctlasgow and 
GnH?n<H'k. discovers a prevailing vacuity which 
follows him into all the ramifications of his in- 
quiries. It is not necessiiry for me to submit ligures 
in proof of what I say at present, but it won't nHjuire 
!«• effort of inductiv< ',\ to dis- 

iM-fori! I finish my • on this 

place; but in the meantime, to In-gin. 1 may just say 
that it is not many years since there were any 
luir\'o« or quays for Uie accommodatiun of the ship- 
I'lni* ranyiii. ' this city. This state of 

things one \ : at so much hud it Ijeeo 



234 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

in the hands of the French Canadians np to this time, 
but it has been in the hands of the British for over a 
hundred years — not virtually, but nomally, as any one 
will discover who knows anything of the history of 
the place ; and after one notes the effects of the rnild, 
temperate, and conciliatory polity extended to subju- 
gated peoples or colonies, he is disposed to question 
its operation. Stagnation is evidently the tendency 
of the old spirit which once held undivided authority 
in the colony, and all the enterprise and vitality 
evinced by the genius of Britisli skill and industry 
are exposed to the icy and torpid influence M^hich it 
continually exerts. One sees its existence and feels 
it, and wonders that a people whose sympathies are 
antagonistic to the life of civil liberty are invested 
with equal political power, and allowed to use it, for 
the advancement of interests which are diametrically 
opposed in many respects to the best interests of the 
colony. I cannot do better than substantiate what I 
have referred to by a quotation from one who will be 
accepted as an authority of some weight. Macaulay, 
in speaking of the early influence of the Eomam 
Catholic Church in connection with science and 
the arts of civilization, says, it was always favour- 
able to civilization and good government from the 
time the barbarians overran the Western Empire 
to the time of the revival of letters ; but from" the time 
when printing was first called into existence to the 



THE CITY OK MOXTKEAL. 235 

present <lay the chief object of Rome ha« been to stunt 
the ^Ti»wth of the huiimii niimi. '* Throu«jhout ChriR 
tendoin whatever lulviince hits lt<H>nnm(le in knowU'<lge, 
in free«loni. in wealth, an<l in the artJ* of life, htm lieen 
made in spite of her. and has everywhere l)een in 
inverse proportion t<» her jxiwer. The lovelicAt and 
most fertile prt)vinces in Europe have imiler her nde 
been stink in j^overty. in IK>litical8er^•itm^e, and intel- 
lectual tor]>or. while Pmtestant countrit«, <»noe pro- 
verbial for sterility and Ijurljarism. have Wen turned 
by skill and industry* into (^aniens, and can booAt uf a 
lon-j li-f of ! h.-rs, ond p<H»U. 

Wli.H\.r ki. l.ind nutundly 

are, and what lour hundre<l yejirs ayo they actiially 
were, shall now coniimre the country nnind Home 
with the country round Edinburgh, will \w able U^ 
form «oine jurljjinent an to the tenden<\v of Papal domi- 
nation. The rh'Hcent of Spain, oucv thf firHt anion^ 
monarchies, to the lowi'st depths of di'gmilalion; the 
"levation of Holland, in spite of many nattmd disad- 
^nta(>efl, to the position such aa no common kinplom 
«»o sninll has ever n^arhed, teach tin- same lesson. 
WhfM-ver jiasws in (ifnunny fn»m a I'oiniin Catholic 
to a lV»testant prin«ijiiility. in Swit/erhiml fn»m n 
Koman Catholic to \ Trotestant canton; in Ireland 
from a Roman Catholic to a Protectant cotinty. finda 
thot he juiAses fi^un o lowurtoa hi * ' .if civili- 

xation ( >n the •»ther side of the ,\ .mie law 



236 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

prevails. The Protestants of the United States have 
left far behind the Eoman Catholics of Mexico, Peru 
and Brazil. The 'Roman Catholics of Lower Canada 
remain inert, while the rohole continent around them 
is in a ferment with Protestant activity and enter-prise. 
The French have doubtless shown an energy and an 
intelligence which, even, when misdirected, have justly 
entitled them to be called a great people. But this 
apparent exception when examinded will be found 
to confirm the rule, for in no country which is called 
Eoman Catholic has the Ptoman Catholic Church 
during several generations possessed so little author- 
it}^ as in France." — Macaulay's History of England. 
I am not disposed to dilate on any of the aspects 
of civil government or their manifestation in the 
Colonies, but when one sees conciliatory and gener- 
ous measures unproductive of their objects, it cer- 
tainly justifies one in advocating measures of an 
opposite kind. When a nation possessing wealth, 
energy, intelligence, probity and courage, and the 
other qualities which fit it for conquest and civil 
government allow a subjugated people to retain and 
exercise all religious, civil and political privileges, 
and the jurisprudence of their own country intact, it 
shows a moderation which none of the great nations 
of antiquity ever aimed at or attained, and it is 
curious to note at this time that all the people or 
nations which have been deepest and truest in their 



THE CITY OF MONTREAL. 

devotion to the triple and tottering crown nn* all 
sulyugatetl |)eo|>le, and without exception they are 
all at a lo&s to see that any iiifxliri'lnn hri^ Nv n 
extemled to them. 

I thought the 8pir«. . ."^ 1)..; ,... 

])lace to ileiioant on the various pointij I have re- 
ferretl to, with a large liriti.sh city 8j>reail out W'foro 
lue, and so many convent.s. nunnerie.s, ami institu- 
tions of a similar kiml in view; and on the adjacent 
tower a lai^ gilded cross glancing in the rays of the 
morning sun, and from this entourage one could 
judge of it« Ixjing a favouretl city, and one which 
must Ite dear to the aged and fniil successor of Ild- 
debrand, who is now virtually a pri.Hcner in his own 
tcrritor}'. I was not di.Hiippointtnl in this, for when 
I desceniled to the interior of the Cathtxlral, about 
the first object which attracted my attention was an 
image f»f /x/ /iVih* <lf Cfil, with a young chiKl in her 
anns. The figures were cut in tine Carrara marble, 
and a notice was in front stating that the group was 
a present from Pio Nono (" I>on de Pio IX., 8th 
April, 1K72,") and on a small laljel in front an> the 
wonls "offntniU ci S*\\nU Vitnjf.rt a V\f I.X." Who 
so impious and callous as to nrfniin fMUi giving after 
"uch a chance of investing his or her oflering. with 

•• double virtue of serving in one act two of the 
most imf>r>rtant |h in the universe. I don't 

rememlier noli* in, \\ object of kindly ivoog- 



238 'THE STATES AND CANADA. 

nition and paternal affection to the devoted ones 
who meet in the Metropolitan, in the city of Dublin, 
whom I think his Holiness led us to believe filled 
the first place in his heart ; but possibly they are all 
first in turn. One feels inclined to indulge in a 
little levity when observing or speaking of such 
things as one sees in such a place — shall I say in 
the House of God ? — but when one sees as I did a 
simple girl coming in and bowing down and wor- 
shipping this calcareous idol, it is enough to make 
one ashamed of the genus to which he belongs who 
perpetrates such a fraud on the credulity of man 
or abet and encourage its perpetuity. 

I love pictures when they are the product of 
genuine art, and when I stumble on an important 
church and expect to see something in the fine art 
line which will compensate me for the trouble of 
hunting them up, and seeing there were many in 
Notre Dame, I cast about for some one which might 
be of interest, and the first that caught my eye was 
peculiar, and it was on that account it did so. I 
have no wish to fleer and scout at any solemnity, 
but my judgment requires to be satisfied that there 
is solemnity in the matter before it will recognise 
the solenniity ; that the picture was in a church was 
solenm, but anything beyond that I was not respon- 
sible for, and that it was regarded with higher feel- 
ings than solemnity I doubted not, for one young 



THE CITT or MOSTRKAL 239 

laily who ven» gvnuilucUHl before it secnietl in tin 
agouy of devotion. It was not very well iminted, 
and it could not l>e that it wius an e.\aiu|ilo of sur* 
pojising art whith c«»uipelled her to ajwuiue the atti- 
tii'lo of a poignant and deep devotion. 

They who worship the one living and true (tod can 
li.ive but a very UK«gn? and vj^ue conception of the 
convenience it iuu.hI l>e to thojic who have a plurality 
of deitie-s to suit the coinjdex and conllicting phaM*s of 
religious life and social evils to which they are exiHJsed ; 
and of the many intercessor}' steps and helps which 
others, more highly favoure<l, have to enable them to 
rise to the vcr)- .summit of beatitude. One of these 
steps was the picture I refer to. An emlMHliment — 
so far as it is possible to emlxnly in a picture — of a 
dreamy, dogmatic swindle, the production of a lady's 
hyi>ochondria and nor\'ous debility, and who, if her 
sujwriors had sent to a maistm ilt fidU* at the time, 
might have pit>vo«l the salvation of many who have 
since lost the littlf bmins they were possesseil of. by 
dreaming of pilgrimages to the piously niuiantio 
locality of Taray le Monial. The picture I refer to 
was not strictly the likeness of anything in the i>arth 
or in the heaven alwve, an<l this fart may have 
•uitisfied the wry earnest worshipper — vtvtv slie 

!iscious of it — of her relation to the fint and 
.•^vcond commandments. The picturv was intended 
to represent " The man of Sorrows," and the 



240 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

flesh of the breast was ciit and rolled over, exposing 
the heart fnll to view, and the work argued the hand 
of an expert, so far as the cutting was concerned ; 
and had it been done by Shylock he would have 
secured one of the conditions of his bond, for there 
was no evidence of a drop of blood having been lost ; 
and the placid look in the face of the sufferer made 
the matter most incongruous, and gave it rather an 
amusing and serio-comic look, and how any sensitive 
young lady could make it an object of holy devotion 
might puzzle the venerable Margaret ]\Iary herself. 
Perhaps a short extract from the writings of this 
venerable lady may give the reader a notion as to 
her sanity. The exercises are intended to be "offered 
by devout souls to the Sacred heart of Jesus." The 
manual is for the month of June, and the most 
curious and characteristic part is that for the thirty- 
first day of that month. But before I do so I will state 
the facts whereon is built the modern introduction of 
this doctrine or form of devotion. This lady says 
she saw " The heart of Jesus represented to her as 
on a throne formed of fire and flames, surrounded by 
rays more brilliant than the sun, and transparent as 
crystal. The wound which he received on the cross 
was clearly seen there. Around the Sacred Heart 
was a crown of thorns, and above it a cross which 
was planted in it," and this incongruous, ill-arranged, 
and unpoetically disposed mass of holy and sublime 



TUB CITV OP MONTREAL. J41 

objects she is pleaseil to cull a communication or 
•• favour similar to that which was rec4?ived by the 
belovetl John, on the evening of the Last Supj>er." 
One is always learning. I was n<»l aware of .lohn 
having Iteen the recipient of any sinalar comumnica- 
tioD, but the whole goes to prove what I have 
asserted, that the latly was non couifMis mnUU. It is 
scarcely necessar}* to give the statement from her 
writin:,' which I sjxjke of at first, but it is (juile in 
unison with the above. I have extended my n marks 
to a greater length than I intended in connection 
with this subject and religious matters; but I do 
not think I have done more than others who have 
been in the same jKisition and have treatetl of the 
same subjects, and 1 know then? are some who are 
anxious to know what is going on in foreign coun- 
tries in religious as well as .necular affuirs. In this 
building were many pictun\s of sul>ordinate interest, 
chietly of saints, which are nuide spiritual ni<><lium8 
between this and the life of the higher world, and 
\vhich we must necessarily reganl as so many material 
barriers between the human soul and (WhI. Of 
course pictures, miracles, plays, and monilitcs serx'ed 
imiNirtant pur|)oses in the middle or dm trn 

both priests and {N>ople were alike uii< lul 

ignorant of anything beyond an ailmixture oi iratli- 
t'omd garbage, and the intluunco the priestly otUc« 
rcised over a grovelling brooil of serfs; but to see 



242 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

these agencies or a part of them in existence in the 
nineteenth century shoukl tend to make men keep 
more closely to the light, and consei've all institu- 
tions which are allied to it with the most jealous 
care. 

As I will have to notice some things similar to 
what are here when I come to refer to the Church of 
the Jesuits, I will pass them in the meanwhile, and 
only give a passing notice of a number of stalls 
which are arranged along the sides of the church, 
petites salles de la question, usually called "confes- 
sionals," the appearance of which naturally induces 
one to think there must be an awful number of sinners 
in what I had — from the prominent features of the 
place — taken for a city of exemplary sanctity and 
intensely-marked pious tendencies; but if "the fear 
of hell's the hangman's whip to keep the wretcli in 
order," it is possibly necessary that that wretch should 
indulge in some devilry to secure the revenues of the 
Church against declension and bankruptcy. 

The Cathedral externally is a bold, broad, and 
massive example of early Gothic. On the facade 
there are no pretensions to architectural beauty, but 
there is a telling and imposing appearance, and from 
the symbols which are conspiciously placed on the 
structure, the unlettered can easily recognise the 
degree of its claims to ecclesiastical altitude. Its 
steps are continually the habitat of some aged and 



THE CITY OK MONTRKAL. 243 

iuHrui recipient of the b«)unty of tlie charitable, and 
visitors of all chusses are anxious to acijuin' some 
lesAon or kuowlcil^e hy tlieir visit. Tlie situation 
which it occupies is not the licst for a house of its 
pretensions, tliough there is an imjiortant square 
fronting it Its Iieing placeil too much to the one 
sitle o|)erates to a certain extent in not giving it ita 
due effect. It is huilt of granite, as nearly all the 
public buildings and churches are, and many of the 
shops and warL'hou.ses, which are very substantial and 
have a solid and remarkably good ap|)earance. In the 
vicinity are several Iwinks, and not far ofl' they are 
erecting a new |)ost ollice worthy of the surroundings 
(»r amenities of the l<K'ality. The s<[uare, as I said 
before, is small, and it is approached by four or five 
streets, which arc all narrow, giving the city at tliat 
point an antitpuiti-<l a]t]M'aninc4> resembling some of the 
Continental places whiih w^re const nicte<l in times 
when such a |>rovision was nece.ssar}' to check more 
< inily the incursion or attacks of hostile neighlMurs. 
On leaving the Catlietlnil, I took my way to the 
ilong the street called after it I i>n»«ume 
Dame," and in a short time arriviMl ut the 
i<a\v Ciiurt.s. I saw it was a buihling of jMime import- 
ance, though it dill not seem to lie in an im]Mirtaut 
locality, neither did it soem to have the appmaohes, 
avenues and fences in a condition which would argue 
that one would lie justified in accepting it for wliat it 



244 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

was. The boundary between the street and the 
grounds in front of the building had no parapet to 
denote the building was completed, although there 
were indications that such was originally intended^ 
A few stunted trees were planted on the space, and 
the footpath was evidently more the work of accident 
than any line of design. The same features of 
embryonic imperfection stamped and pervaded the 
whole interior of the courts and ofiices. There were 
apartments where the business arrangements for the 
courts were matured, and the whole judicial work was 
carried on and completed, but there was a A^ery 
strongly defined difference between this building and 
the one I had seen at Toronto for similar purposes. 
Every place bore a plain and common-place appear- 
ance, as if a disposition was evinced to give accommo- 
dation only for necessary work being done; but any 
display of taste or any attempt to deprive the place of 
an offensively plain and impoverished look by the 
addition of some few decorations there was none. 
The constructive and decorative traits of this house 
were in strict and in severe consonance. There was 
no relief except that secured by tlie necessary openings 
such as a window or a door. I was fortunate in 
meeting a very civil and intelligent officer of court, 
who was desirous that I should see everything in the 
courts which would be of service to me in getting a 
just and accurate idea of this department of the 



THE CITY OF MOXTKRAL. 245 

public senice. I was ahowu the various oftices or 
buraiiu- wherxj the |>reliu»iiiarv ofVicial work wna 
atljusttil l»efore it caiue U'fore the court; and all the 
ottices had their otVicial fuuctions and distinctions 
indicateil on or over the iloors, both in English and in 
French, showing that the business of the courts waa 
rather of a cou»j»k'X cliara«-ter, and necfs^sitatinj? in 
the case of many of the ofticials the |H>s,sfssion of lioth 
languaj^es, for, as I indicated l»efore. the cotles of Iwth 
countries are used in the courts, not only similar law8« 
but the laws of the empire in their entirety, I^ Cods 
y - it is usctl at the capital of France, and 

tl they call Im CunUtnu df Paris. In the 

librar}' I saw nothing which would remind one of the 
Ailvocates Library in E^linburgh. The room through- 
out was ample and airj' ; the bookcases were scarcely 
worthy of the name. The 1 there, and my 

fri.-nd was anxious that I hi. i* chief among 

Fr'iuch law litoratun-, whiih I huvo n-fiTPLHl to uUive, 
)'iit after turning over alK)ut a cartlwui of bulky and 
•toewhat antiquated volumes, he gave up the enter- 
rise, as they w.i ' ' ' i "luty elsewhere. 
All who are < ■ ith the H4T>-i«*«' and pmc- 

e of law in Monlruul know and ; 'leir 

•sition and labours are curtailed an . ' ^X 

•nllicting interests with which tlioy an? •umnmdetL 
\nd in making in«iuiri»-» at my frien«l in refcrvncc to 
.e generiil apjRarancc <.f thni;;^ in ami outside of 



246 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

the courts, his reply was, " We cannot have matters 
adjusted and set in strict consonance with British 
notion of those matters, so long as the present slow 
coach style of the original colonials exists, but British 
enterprise is beating back that old system of inaction 
and stagnation, and bye and bye we will appear in 
as advantageous circumstances as our neighbours;" 
and I presume, as a substantial proof of what he 
said, he took me to an old law court in one of the 
streets leading to the river side, where business — 
now done in the other courts — was carried on at a 
not very remote date, and there was certainly potent 
evidence of considerable advancement. And yet 
there is room for improvement in the same direction. 
In this street, which ought to be one of some impor- 
tance, tliere is a monument of Lord Nelson, and from 
its appearance one would be disposed to think it had 
]jassed through the stormy days of Wolff or Mont- 
calm, but I did not see any memorials of these 
heroes. The public market of the city stands not 
far from this street, and my friend kindly took me to 
see it. It must be — as its appearance would indi- 
cate — of a number of years standing ; and at that 
time its stalls and benches may have afforded indu- 
bitable evidence of the necessity of such an institu- 
tion, but from its present appearance one could not 
trustfully use it as a strong argument in favour of a 
similar structure in any city, for the old stereotyped 



THK CITY OF MOXTKE.VL '247 

forms of iloiug bu&iiiej» either in the litreet or luarket 
are beiu^ superscnleii by the ailuptiou of new foniH 
which acconi more with the title of pri>gresw which 
llowa coutinuously, aiui is penneutiiig the reiiiotesb 
comers, even where the piUtseJi of commercial vitality 
lio not indicate that vigour whicli is felt in great 
centres of busiueiis. I thought it couUl not l»e to 
impress me with the great strides they were making 
that he had taken me to see indications of commer- 
cial famine pining in empty stalls, as was tlio case in 
the niarket, but perchance it was not the time of day 
to see its usual su{H.'rlativc activity. I could see no 
traces of recent life or stir, and I considereil the then 
]irusent aspect and condition of affairs wen; the 
diagiioiiis of a chronic state, which prognosticatoii at 
no distant date its fuial dissolution. 

^tep was in the tlirection of the Cfmntp tie 
^ as we Went along some of tiie old build- 
's w hicli gave character to the old |>art of the city, 
»itd the great improvement which was goin(f on. Tbo 
Champ (U Mars is situated not far from the 84]uare 1 
fi. --d in front of the Cathedral, and oa the 

J,; lioth on the south aiiil on the nortii side 

ot tlie mjuare, a gtHMi view of the situation o( drill 
grountl can Ix'got from this eminence. In connection 
with the ground tlicre is a drill hall and the ueccMary 
annouries C"! ;t the hall has never U-en com- 

pleted, the I •<! and fell in on account of 



248 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

the weight, so that the first war to which it had any 
relation was one between the contractor and the 
official trustees of the building, and it is now an 
interesting and not very ornamental ruin. Ho^^'ever, 
it is to be hoped that peace will soon be declared 
between the combatants, and that the young volun- 
teer army may have a comfortable rendezvous during 
the severe and biting blasts of a Canadian winter. 
My British Canadian friend left me here, and point- 
ing to his house up in the vicinity of Sir Hew 
Allan's, said — " If you are up the hill so far, look in 
if you have time," and " If I can be of any further ser- 
vice to you, my office is nearly opposite the Courts, 
where you can find me." He gave me his name, I 
gave him my thanks for his kind offers, and pursued 
my inquiries in a solitary mood. There are times 
when one can appreciate the kindness of such a 
friend, the spontaneous and courteous act enhances 
its worth and fixes it indelibly on the memory, and 
it even looks a green and fresh spot which one always 
sees in his retrospect on the way of life. 

I had no thought prior to this of visiting the emi- 
nence on which the house of the merchant prince I 
have named was situated, as it seemed a task of some 
magnitude to accomplish, but I thought possibly it 
would repay the trouble on account of its command- 
ing position; and as the day was far spent I saw 
there was an imperative necessity of doing so with 



THE CITY OP MONTREAL 349 

!I luy might and enlisting ndditiona) facilities, and 
in a short time I fouml myself piininp a hij-li s«icial 
p«»>ition. for up-hill is the west-eml, the Hel^^mvia of 
Montreal. After climbing the first step of the hill 
there is a fine level jtlain, and in this upper level 
are the homes of the upper t«n. It is really a 
channing 8]>ot, tJie street*, avenues, and lanrs, are 
ways of pleas4intne.ss; the dwellings are emlxiwereil 
with the rich, sha«lowy verdure of sylvan attire, and 
are striking in an architectural point The great 
hulk of them are of recent structure, and great taate 
has \ieei\ evince«l in their adonuiients. and tlu* pros- 
pect from many of them must he something •.'"iuti- 
The drive along the^te avenuew, with here and there 
an opening looking down upon the city, the river 
and the distant outline of hill on the States territory, 
the douiCfl, spires, and min- d in met4illic 

lustre and throwing the rn\ lining sun in 

every dire<tion, is excee«lingly piea.sant. Higher up 
■^n' magnittcent cJuitaius of the first menhanta in the 

ty, ami chief is Sir Hew Allan, nestling in the 
hdlsiile — for the hill is <n>wue<l to ita verk* summit 
with luxuriant foliage — and all the houses have a 
cosy and comfortahle look. Hunning up to theee 
houses are sulxmlinati! avenues, calkni possibly after 
the ownefB, and I noti(*ed many Scotch names aniungtt 
them ; and so far as I coidd leani then' wen* few of 
the original settlent who have risen to any eminenoo 



250 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

at all. The upper part may be regarded as the new 
city of Montreal. There is nothing to denote that it 
was taken possession of and used for human dwel- 
ling till a recent date, for all the buildings have a 
fresh and modern look about them. I have noticed 
that this city is the seat of a Eoman Catholic See, 
and it is also the seat of an Episcopal See, and the 
Cathedral occupies a very fine site on the high 
grounds which I have referred to. The church is 
built in the Gothic style of architecture, which seems 
a favourite style from the number of churches built 
in it, and is finely finished internally and externally. 
The Church of St. Andrews is also a very fine speci- 
men of the same style of architecture. 

There are several colleges in the city, and the latest 
addition is a large and imposing pile of building, on a 
fine situation, and is the latest acquisition to tlie 
already numerous edifices belonging to the Catholic 
Church. The evidences of wealth in Montreal in 
connection with this Church must strike every one 
who visits there, and will necessarily lead one who 
is not previously aware of the fact, to enquire, where 
the revenue is derived from; and the answer to his 
enquiries would virtually explain many more, and some 
which I have referred to. The island is practically 
the property of the order of St Sulpice, the seignory 
or lordship being held by this order, and I think it 
extends to the island of Lachine also; and when we 



THE Cl-n* or MONTREAL 261 

consiiler that the island of Montreal 18 thirty miles in 
length ami ten in \viilth.an«l its i»ro.si»erity «lnrinKthe 
last thirty years or so by British industry, skill and 
enterprise, we can easily see that the revenues of that 
onler must l»e great. I have note<l a few curimis 
things, but this last seems to me to bo the greatest, 
and shows that o<! i of the colony is at best 

a farce, ami the : I>oril iJuflerin or any 

representative a most silly and im|>otent act of civil 
administration in connection with it, 

Tlie isolate<l position of Montreal oi>erates against 
it in oiu- l>oiiefic»Mit cronomy in nature — that of the 
water ^'ipl'ly. Instead of the water running thtwn 
from hills over the city, it is found necessary to force 
it up by Its own momentum at the Lachine rapids, a 
lew miles above the city, possibly by the same sort of 
mechanism which is use<l at the village of Clifton, at 
Niagani. where a jtowerful hydrauli*- pump fi»rces the 
water to »uch a position or eli'\ ation as adonis a supply 
to the village; so at Montreal the water is fone*! up 
tea coiihideroble height to provide for the population. 
S^-: " houses, however, are higher than the 

hi, ..oir, and it is likely they will nNpiire to 

find tin-Ill a supply by private appliaiins. The further 
one pursues the |iath of his in(|uiries ur obfter\'ations 
the more is he convinced and satisfied of the lieauty 
of the ! ' ?" r a plate of aUnlo. 

The sii;. II fmut one of the 



252 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

many points on the Highlands are interesting to a 
degree, and are calculated to attract one to do more 
than admire them. To a person who had time at his 
disposal to exhaust what is attractive and full of 
interest, much pleasure and instruction would be 
derived. There is much on account of the natural 
configuration of the land around to please a hurried 
and casual visitor, and though one might discern 
blemishes here and there in a wealthy and pros- 
perous city, yet, if we know the reason of their 
existence, the reason being known might dissipate 
any unfavourable view or any ungenerous strictures 
one would be disposed to make. I had seen many 
of the churches as I passed along the avenues of 
the upper city; many fine villas, with their tasteful 
amenities; many happy-looking homes, fitly set in 
rich arcadian bowers, with the warm, mellow tints of 
a glowing sunset sparkling on the trembling foliage, 
and then the pallid and passive shadows of the night 
began to gather and descend and deepen into night. 
I left the Canadian Olympus, and descending the 
hill, I stopped at the entrance of the Church of the 
Jesuits, and stepped into the interior. There was 
just enough of light to show the tall gotliic pillars 
rising and losing themselves in the vaulted roof, and 
to show to good effect the triple globes of fire hanging 
in their awful and mysterious orbits over the unseen 
altar below. In the church there was the stillness 



THE CITT OK MONTH JLlL. 253 

of the grave, broken only with suUluwl whispers 
from a iiuiul^er of staliu«-like enn-t fij^niiv.s, which 
were (iiinly noticetl here uiul there in the i»ew.H, ami 
from a nuiulier of human voices cngajieti at vesper* 
in one of the adjoining halls, and the soft cadences 
of the music were floating in gentle eddie« through 
the aisles, and dying in the recesses of the lofty 
roofs. 

I thought I wiw one or more s{)ecimens of .Scrii>- 
ture .suhjects in Ihu rtUrf on the walls over the 
side altars, and I was groping my way to get the 
ocular proof of what I found I was mif.taken in, 
when im acolyte nmde his upi>cunince on the scene, 
and materially iuiproved our tenehrious condition by 
lighting up a refulgent bla/e of gus Kdiind one of the 
])i]lars in front of the altar. Tlie effect was to a 
certain extent marvellous, but like many, or all 
mar\'<-l<4, hail its .Hr)lution in art. I looked Itehind 
the i>illar, and then? wais a reflettor of gn'at |K>wcr, 
which threw the light with an intensity on the altar, 
and produced an efleot wliich, ooining after the pre- 
vious darkness, was quite magical in its eflect Tlie 
ganiitiire of the altar wt»>* hlmwily rnnntni't***! and 
arran^Mil; then- um- • .lU 

that made it nit her at: I ^ ^ wiuj 

. idently intended a« a point of interest in tliu ciiurch 

II.,: *' •' - • ' ' ' • • ' - •'-. ,,.|^ 

it , u-d. 



,254 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

he carried in a small cabinet not so big as a davenport, 
and set it on the altar, and after doing so it was with 
difficulty he managed to complete his remaining duties, 
for ever as he passed in front of La iidiU Boite his 
legs seem unwilling to do their friendly offices and 
support him, and those who were present, I daresay, 
were apprehensive of the necessity of helping him out 
of his difficulty, but so long as I waited he was found 
to recover with the same alacrity as he evinced in his 
spasmodic attacks. I was inclined to think there 
was some electricity passing across his path from the 
suddenness of the interruption to his locomotion. But 
I could see no material evidence in support of this 
hypothesis; and I could ascribe his sudden inability 
and recovery to nothing but a miracle, as one is com- 
pelled to recognise the supremely divine and glorified 
texture of the piety of this brotherhood, for toute 
puissance Icur est donnee en les cieux ct sur la terre 
And we ought in all reason to be satisfied when we 
see any act which in its general features carries the 
stamp of omnipotence. That it is their misfortune of 
being unable to convince the world that they possess 
it, is really no proof that they do not possess it. And 
when we consider the invaluable services which have 
been rendered to mankind by them we can see it is 
only fair that some tangible and incontrovertible 
proof of their labour should l^e possessed by them. 
We can easily conceive that a disciple of such a worthy 



THB CrrV OP MONTKEAL. 255 

father as Ptrt Ignace woulil often ilo iimny tilings 
which wouUl astonish mankind, when we recur to 
his own wontlerful act of l>e};;jinj; liis way from 
Montnmrtre to Rome with a l)a<^of ^Kl in his ixtsaes- 
sion; few men could do so unless they were the 
children of such a father. And for the children it 
were easier to tell what they have not done than what 
they have done, their acts are so astoundin*;. unique, 
and numerous, some one says, I think, of one «if them, 
" that he discoveretl tiiat the nuwn was rountl and 
that the earth was stjuare," and they had discovered 
the source of the Nile, of which noboily has \tw\\ able 
to make himself a worthy successor, in linint; and 
<loinj,' likewise. They have Wcome, in almo.^i every 
country, the reflex of ever}'thin}^ which is pure and 
holy and lovely and of good report, and men were 
force«l to reganl them as the very tyjie of what wm 
gran«l in monds and tlivinely e.xhaulte*! in the hpiritual 
life, iudI iiifu Wen* utiahle to understand the disinte* 
restfdness of the motives, and dis|>aire»l of altiiining to 
the purity and sublimity of their piety and virtue. 
That they have not l>een rcwanle<l for their laliour of 
love in the worhl, it in Hcarcely nt>e<lful for any <mo to 
say, who knows their liistor)*, or the smalK'.nt frag- 
iitcnt of it. That men should find fault with them 
r anbrding facilities for dcfrnuding, robbing or cheftt« 
I tig their fellow-men was simply unkind and cfpimUy 
ungracious. That they should )« chafed, fretted, and 



256 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

vexed by those possessed of political power and 
influence, and not allowed to foment strife and hatch 
conspiracies for the destruction of empires is very 
inconsiderate and cruel. Why should that power be 
curtailed or limited which once dictated terms and 
conditions to the imperial omnipotence of the Western 
Empire, and why should these lambs of such Quixotic 
piety be made the mark for vile and unhallowed 
denunciations, and made to float in the defiled and 
polluted stream of the common life of the world. 
That we should see them enjoy some repose in 
Montreal, is quite natural, when we consider the 
nature of the soil and quality of the climate — it is 
always on the richest trees the most dangerous insects 
are found, and in fair lands churchmen Avill live in 
sanctified beggary rather than leave them. In Spain, 
at no very distant date, there was one churchman for 
every twenty of tlie population; but instead of its 
being a Paradise, it has become a morgue or charnel 
house for the bones of the discordant civil suicide; 
and fair Italy with its superior climate and a population, 
whereof three-fifths know nothing of the rudiments of 
education, is scarcely much better; and I daresay were 
it not for British enterprise, industry and skill we 
might be necessitated to record by this time the same 
state of things in this fair city. 

I have noted several things connected with this 
place which show distinctively the existence of jar- 



TUB Cl"n' OF MONTKKAL. L»57 

ring inteiVBts, but one which catches the eye of a 
stranfjer a.s soon as any, is that of calling' street-s by 
the nuuies which can be itHxt^'uistxl by both }>co])1ca 
safely, as meaninj" the same thing — to have on one 
corner Iinf ,Sf. Jacquts and St. .James. It looks like 
a work of supererogation. Of amrse I c;ui say 
nothing in reference to the history of such a seem- 
ingly peculiar practice, any further than it is notice- 
able that it is not larried uniformly out. There aie 
some streets which have only their names in one 
langua^^'e. and these are not contined to the Knglish 
nor to the French. Ilowcvur, it is likely these 
streets were originally calletl by French names, and 
when the English took i>ussession of the place they 
thought it would be best to name them in the venui- 
cular of l>oth nations. In the ]Nirt of the city which 
may be reg;irded as the oKlest, the streets are very 
luirrow, and thi>se streets which are the broadest, 
and where the greatest amount of business i> dune, 
are not of a unifonn breiullh — but that is a feature 
which is often noticed in many of the old strrets in 
many of our own towns and cities — and there seems 
to be no care or attention ilovotod to any of tlie 
.streets which are not leading strvet/t or main arteries 
of the city. I have refemxl to one s^juare, whi* h is 
considertnl the chief in the city, and the thorough- 
fares around it aro in a {jassable comlition ; but when 
uae posees the least to one side or the oUiur, in pro- 



258 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

portion to the distance from that centre which one 
may go, he finds their condition gradually getting 
worse. There is another square which ought to be 
the first in importance, if one might judge from its 
being selected as the site for the statue of the Queen, 
but the amenities do not evince such to be the case. 
Perhaps it would not do to have a statue of the 
British Sovereign in front of Notre Dame. Its 
appearance there might remind them often of their 
bondage, and possibly it showed greater discretion to 
put it in a minor position, however much it might 
reflect on those whose influence ought to have 
secured for it the best site in the city; but, possibly, 
they may have a prospective idea of surrounding it 
with works of a nobler character than any which are 
in the more central square. That may be, but this 
state of matters is very faintly shadowed in anything 
we can see in the present outline. The only indica- 
tion of it is in the fact that the street which runs up 
from the river at this point is the widest, and will 
ultimately, I should suppose, be the finest in the 
city. Again, the statue is on the direct line from 
the street to the chief or principal approach to the 
new or upper city, which may be in the future of 
great advantage in the way of being an offset to it; 
but it is scarcely possible to obscure, by picturing all 
the felicitous combinations of the future, its present 
ungainly and chaotic features. One feels as if an 
obvious attempt were made to give a bold and well- 



THE CITY OP MOXTRKAL. 259 

• 

^lefineti expression in reference to royalty, which 
eliould be an ample contrast with wliat is expressed 
by the people in the up|)er part of the continent 
Inside an enclosure of not many yards in extent, 
surrounded by a fence of the rudest and simplest 
kind, and scantily atloroed by stunted trees and 
shrubs stands a statue of the Queen of an empire on 
which the sun never sets, and this is in a city of 
j>ossibly 120,000 people. One feels as if some artist 
had lx?en making a miniature mcKlel of sonicthiug 
grand, and had put it outside, that the [Hjople in the 
public highway might give their venlict in reference 
to it as a work of art But we can only regard it as 
a faithful exposition of the extent or growth of 
loyalty in this part of her Majesty's dominions till 
the present time, but which will ultimately attain 
gigantic proportions, when the vile nightmare which 
paralysis free and 8|wntaneous action, and all kinds 
of commereial enterprise, shall have received it« 
quietus. Tlic condition of the strenjts in the im- 
mediate neighlxmrhootl is frightful, and present (juite 
ft rustic appearance. This is not iKja-jibly what the 
Civic Legislature intended, for somehow when liljcml 
provision is made for certain civic improvements. 
.ite thinks the money would Ijo lietter 
:i s«»mu other way, and »'^ far iw I could 
U'uni Homething of this w>rt wa> ! in rela- 

tinrj in ihi'M'. pul)lif witrkH nr :: . ■'■■■*. I do 



260 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

not say but some strange notion may at times take 
possession of heads whicli at any time are not very 
clear, and which are furnished with one idea only. 
It was said that one of the city legislators, who was 
chairman of the Eoad Committee, and who had more 
than a special interest in the Society of the Jesuits, 
was affected with a kind of distemper which brought 
the chief of the Tammany Eing to grief. And on 
that account the appearance of the streets and roads 
did not commensurately tally with the amount of 
money which was sunk in that enterprise. It is 
difficult to understand how such laxity in the prac- 
tical or operant functions of a local legislator could 
for any time pass without recognition, but we are aware 
such have been, and overcame some men like a sum- 
mer cloud, only to elicit their special wonder when 
too late. In large cities w^here there is much mate- 
rial prosperity by the growth of commercial pursuits, 
and especially in a city like Montreal, favoured by 
the presence of an order of men, who may regard 
all this prosperity and wealth as the result of their 
presence in the land. Then, how natural should it 
be for some part of the civic funds to be appropriated 
to secure a continuance of those blessings by provid- 
ing the means to secure their invocations and friendly 
sympathies in time to come; and I tliink, in accord- 
ance with the monita secreta of the society, it is not 
necessary that they should tell the whole world 



TIIE Cl-n* OP MONTREAL 261 

when any memljcr is disjiosed to give Uu«in *• u lifl," 

jis an I'xpro^^sion of his impulsive piety. Tlieir light 

is .if tl>at complexion that it di>e-s not do to set it ou 

•-andlestick, but prospers best under a bushel. 

Among the many things which show a decided 

ntrast in Canada to the Unite<l States Lsthat of the 

\ponse of living. In the Uni* 'here are 

: ;.iny grade.'* fmm the l)est to tlu- • "f hotels, 

- there are in all places; but I cannot say that I 
if.sted them in that resjiect, but as I found them, 
without any special reference to their excellence, so I 
6peak of them; and I may say that the «liflcrenoe, 
taking my first an»l last hotels for .samples or 

\;imples, my first in the States was thrice as exjwn- 

VI! OS that in Montreal. Tliis may be the result of 

:ie or two things, or of lioth. I do not think there 
i.s xUv I evincetl it ' - is 

in th." ^ "f the ne- life 

are much cheaper, clothing alone being the cxcep- 
♦Imii. I had no means uf noting any difference which 

\istetl lH5twecn tlie Upper and I>)Wer l*rovince of the 
iJ.niin ! II t4)note 

thr pi iu-h were 

nearly a thinl cheajier timn what we are leaving for 
thi! ^me articles at home, and ample facilitien are 

: lorded to any who are desirous to live cheaply and 

■ r gear,"- My who have 

ind stami: o of a Cao»- 



262 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

dian winter. Those who have had some experience 
of the climate say that good living, that is, having 
plenty of wholesome food to eat, is the best thing 
they know of for resisting the influence of the cold in 
Canada, and as living in Canada is cheap it may not 
be a formidable matter to one who is fortified after 
the manner referred to; and to assist what I referred 
to for the inner man there are cheap furs, moccassins, 
and the addition of a sleigh in the winter time I 
believe make life very enjoyable. 

I don't remember being in any place where the 
streets were so quiet in the evening as they were in 
Montreal. I am not able to submit any positive 
reason for this state of things. One naturally expects 
to see a very considerable concourse of people moving 
about, especially on a fine evening. Such was not 
the case in some of the most important streets, and, I 
presume, it was not so in any of the subordinate ones. 
I daresay there are few such associations as we have 
at home which tend to crowd the streets at night by 
young men going and coming to and from their places 
of meeting, such as Templars, and very many kindred 
and benevolent and social institutions. I suppose 
there must be a want of inducement to bring the youth 
out at night. The young ladies, of course, are chiefly 
shut up in convents and nunneries, and the young 
gentlemen must sit at home and console themselves in 
the solution of some problem connected with social 



THE CITY OF MONTREAL. 203 

science or some one of thu lunny 8|)eculative phases 
of experimental philosophy in rvlation to the arts of 
life, or Ik; eugiige<l in some of the enjoyments or 
employments which ilo not necessitate their ap|>ettr- 
ance on the public thorougiifares or in the open-air. 
It is a little singular. I could have understooil it in 
the upper part of the city, but in the vicinity of hotels 
ami other places* where there is usually a considerable 
amount of stir imd activity it seemed to me somewhat 
unaccountable; but I have no doubt had my stay in 
the place extended over a few days, I should liavo 
come away jwsscssed of the reasons of such a state of 
things in such an imi)ortant city ; and I am re.solved 
that this and a number of other things which I lind I 
have omitteil, and which would iiave been of consider- 
able interest to know, shall receive my careful 
inquiries, and scnitiny on the very first occlusion I 
have to visit the attractive and prosperous city of 
Montreal. 



CHAPTEE XVIII. 



EN ROUTE FOR THE STATES BY LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 

" Time and tide wait for no man," and in recognition 
of the evolution of this important and philosophic 
maxim, I arranged with the necessary official to 
" call me early," as I had resolved to quit the Cana- 
dian continent and prosecute my journey on to the 
States' side of the St. Lawrence on the succeeding 
day; and having settled my liabilities and climbed 
to an upper chamber where I was sure to get the 
first and freshest rays of morning light on their way 
to our sphere, I waited for the morning. The voice 
of my dreaming ear was scarcely attuned to any of 
the flitting sounds which trembled on its chords 
during the silence of the night, when it was startled 
from visionary into genuine and real consciousness 
by some one knocking at my door; and it was only 
when thus disturbed that I found how needful it was 
to negociate for it on the previous night, for had I 
wakened accidentally I would have certainly failed 
to look at my chronometer, for my window was only 
sufficient to allow but a very few rays to reach my 
dormitory, and from the dim grey twilight I would 
have inferred there was no reason for hurrying. But 



EX BOUTB FOR THE STATES. 265 

- it was I found I hnd sufficient time for my toilet, 
ami shortly after u 'Inis with a solitary v>>i/<"j, it was 
j?oon wending its way along a nam^w stnct, where 
one would suppose "two wheel-borrows would tremble 
when they met," to the Montreal and Piatt sV)Ui;g 
Ilailway. The station was quiet and the pa-s^-ngers 
were few. but, somewhat strange, the bulk of them 
were negroes, which must have been unusual, for I 
don't remember seeing a single " darkio " on my ex- 
cursions through the city, for they hold pretty tena- 
ciously to the Southern portion of the continent, and 
8o far north one only ex|K?cts to see an isolated one 
or two here and there. Tlie baggage was soon 
checke<l. and in a few minutes we were nmning 
along the sh(»re of the St. liiwrence to the south- 
west in the direction of I^chine, and at thi.^ point 
we have to cn)Hs the St. Liwrence in a fenyl»oat. a 
small steamer resembling .sonie one of our thinl-<la*8 
tugs ; the jiossoge is brief, a few minutes, but it is 
quite a mar\'el of navigation. Tlie run is octohs the 
wake of the rapids, and the l)oat ha<l to steer for A 
point many <legTe«>s higher up, to enable her to catch 
her de-stinution, the rurrent« are so strtmg. Hut we 
have arrive<l at Caughnawaga, a small place with • 
largo name, and evidently of Indian origin, an«l then 
a pleojuint run acrrwis the prairie fnun the St Iaw- 
rencn t«i T^ke f'hauiplaiii. miles or SO. 

Although this {Nirt is call«-<l : it is of con- 



266 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

siclerable interest on account of its fertility; Nature,, 
in some of her most primitive aspects, is grander 
than when subdued by culture; on the path we have 
both. We have les prairies artificidles et lcs])rairies 
naturelUs, and we have an opportunity of judging of 
them both The forests and the savannahs along the 
railway, nearly across the whole way, are a profusion 
of strange growth to a native of this country, but the 
variety and richness of colour are startling and pleas- 
ing. On no part of the continent where I was could 
there be seen the same Indian-like luxuriance of 
beauty, apart from flowers themselves. The maple 
tree itself, on any of its sylvan accessory surround- 
ings, forms a picture which gives richness and glow- 
ing efEicacy to every succeeding landscape. The 
land is very level, and parts of it carefully cultivated 
and fully cleared. Most of the places on this line 
are small, some of French and some of British origin, 
so far as the names would indicate. By being cleared, 
I mean there are none or few stumps remaining in 
the ground, which is common in districts recently 
reclaimed. 

I have already stated the lynx-eyed vigilance 
and official care which is bestowed on all who pass 
from Canada to the States, and I have stated at this 
time my course was towards the States, and now the 
representative of the Bald Eagle has made his appear- 
ance in the interest of Protection and Conservatism, 



EN KOITE FOK THE STATES. 207 

ami one can enjoy it at this stage, for it fills up a gap 
on a long nm to very gtKxl eflect.esjKJcially if you are 
conscious that your Ixiggjijio is al»ove any suspicion, 
and \u\s nu taint of "contnilmml" nlx^ut it. Howuver, 
ail arv regurxled as guilty until they give the ocular 
proof that they are innocent. All who have baggage 
are niarciied down through the train to the {losition 
of tlic Ixi^'^age car, and as the train is at full s|»ectl, 
the in<|uiry is conducteil under disadvantageous 
circumstances, and the few who are congregated 
together look as if they were " half-seas over," for the 
car keeps shaking, and at times one pa.ssengcr find his 
head hius come into contact with the side of the car 
or his neighlwur's nose, and ai>ologies ure rife and 
reasonable too; and the oflicer is obliged as well as 
the re^t to ajwlogise, for his examination ought to 
liave Ijeen made in the steamer while coming across 
the river, which is the usual place for doing so, but 
I supi>o.-<e the iuii>«trtance of his iluty would enable 
him to ex|*o.se the gtn^ls of the traveller at any stage 
on Yankee territor}-. Tlie duly Ixiing done, the 
ofiicial at once evaiwrates, and we arrive at Kousse'a 
Point, and Lake Champlain bursts upon the sight 
Tlie lake is of c«»ii ! nlerest, and is of greiit 

length, though it i<'d small in a country 

where there are so many great ones. It is |>artly in 
Canada and jiortly in New York and Vermont States, 
and I think must be about two buudrwl tuilea (torn 



268 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

the upper end to its mouth at the St. Lawrence, 
though the narrow part of it is called the Eichelieu 
Eiver. The lake at some parts is fourteen miles 
broad, and at other parts just of sufficient breadth to 
allow the steamer safe navigation. From the point 
of starting to the head of the lake must be about one 
hundred and thirty miles, as it occupies about eight 
hours to accomplish it. After getting into the centre 
of the lake, a very fine and expansive view of 
surrounding country is got, and as we proceed u.pward 
in the lake we get into sight of a hilly country, and 
on that account it is sought largely by pleasure parties, 
for there are many fine spots which are reached by 
the places the steamer calls at on her passage up the 
lake. There are ports on both sides of the lake, and 
an ample opportunity is afforded to see the character 
of the country all the way up. Besides places and 
spots of interest to the tourist there is evidence of the 
shores of the lake being of considerable interest in a 
commercial point, for mines of ironstone have recently 
been opened, and their openings in the hillside are 
observable as the boat passes on her way. These 
openings are immediately over the navigable stream, 
and the barges are loaded from the mouth of the mine, 
and on the nearest point of land to the mine, where 
suitable ground is obtained for furnaces for manufac- 
turing the iron. There are works in course of 
erection, and some have been in operation for some 



EN KOUTE FOB THE STATES. 2«19 

time. Tliese irouwurks are priuciijally on one tiido of 
the lake. There is one place of . ■ '. iiu|Kir- 

tance culletl lUirliii^^'ton. ami thoi.^ aiot see 

the whole extent of the place by piissing. yet there ia 
as much vijiible from tlie pier a& will give a ver}' 
profound notion of lively industr}*, from the amount 
of vajKHir which rise-s and is emitted from the public 
works in sight Great piles of timber are obM,Tvable 
on the foreshore, ami I ilansay the works are chielly 
engaged iu cutting and prei>ariug timber for the 
market. Tliere are railways nearly all round the 
shore, with tlie exception of a p(»rtion of the hilliest 
and rockiest shore, and they are now supplying tliat 
want, for in |»a.s,sing up I noticed vcr}' many steam 
drills at work l>oring the nn:k Iwfore blasting, Tlie 

ks all along are either gnmite or whin, and at some 
jtcint^s it ItKiks rather serious work, on account of the 
bold, irregtdar outline of the nnk Th«« hik«' i<* not 
8uite<l f(»r heavy shipping; th u 

are all of the character of co.i iro 

ffal localities in the interior which are reached by 
ijii- hike shore, and are great resorts for pleasure 
seekers. The first of ihejic is the village <if I'latts- 
burg, which is the route for the w;' nt I am 

not sure that then* are many ar iio take 

advaiitagc of these solitudes The next is more 
^<k«dy to get a greater amount of {latrons. for by the 

ktion of Port Kent tourists reach the tithing lakes. 



-270 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

which are near to the Adirondack Mountains, a 
locality of great interest to the tourist, both on account 
of its rural beauty and its piscatorial pleasures. There 
is another station, which has an Indian name, and 
from these the tourist proceeds by coach to visit the 
fairy lake and scenery on Lake George. This small 
and beautiful lake is a tributary of the large lake, 
but there is no passage by its stream, and when 
the steamer arrives at Ticonderoga, they must either 
proceed on foot or by the stage for some three 
miles across a rather interesting country. The 
general look of the country from this part of 
the lake is calculated to please the most critical. 
Surrounding, there seems a circle of picturesque and 
wooded hills, whose tops present a succession of 
nicely -rounded lines, but none of them seen from the 
lake are of any height, but well-clothed with trees, 
which look finely from the lake ; but one misses on 
some of the ample plateau the lovely mansion em- 
bowered in the bosom of tall ancestral trees, with 
winding avenues and walks and soft borders of tapis 
vert. After we have proceeded a hundred miles or 
so up the lake it narrows to little more than the 
breadth of the steamer, and the land in the vicinity 
assumes the appearance of some of our own High- 
land lochs. The hills get a little more peaked, and 
rise more steeply from the water side ; some parts 
are thickly wooded, and on the most barren spots 



EN ROUTE FOR TUB STATES. 271 

tliere is e\'idence of considerable fertility. We Imve 
passed ever)' kind of craft on the way up which 
freijueut this lake. Steamers start from both enda 
at morning and night, and there is a continuous 
course of navigation going on. IJafts of consitierable 
si/e are seen wending their way to St. Lawrence on 
their way to Queljec. Lines of flat, .-Kow-looking 
boats are loaded with lighter kinds of lunilwr, light 
vessels loaded >nth grain, and lighter boats engaged 
in various pursuits by the l)anks of the lake ; but 
when the steamer aji|K>ar.s tlu-re is a profound panic 
obserN'able, for its great size affects the water to 
such an extent in the narrow parts of the lake 
that the iKMitmen have to use great exertions to 
save their lx)ats from destruction. We have passed 
along this narrow jwirt of the lake, possibly twenty 
or thirty miles, where much nautical skill is neces- 
sar)' to keep clear of the land at the sides and tlie 
mud at the bottom. We have turned many comers 
and promontories with many curiou.s kinds of pharos 
by the way ; and we get into the dull and .nluggiah 
water at the very top of the lake, and we sight 
Whitehall, our destination, as it nestles UHwecn two 
Alpine walls of im|x>8ing height, and in the valley runs 
the canal which was the ohl connecting highway be- 
tween the St. I^wrence and the Hudson Hivrr. unit- 
ing New York with its own capital. AllMiny. and the 
Ciiniuli;iii < iti.vs .»ii th.- «iL>,t by Iaik«' Clmmplain. 



CHAPTEE XIX. 



WHITEHALL, SARATOGA, AND ALBANY. 

It would require some time to discover another place 
of similar character, so far as topographical features 
are concerned, like Whitehall. The valley on which 
it is set is of great extent, and in this respect totally 
unlike great numbers of American places, it being at 
the junction of the lake and the canal, and also in the 
centre of a thickly-wooded country. One of the 
outlets will show a sufficient reason why such a place 
exists there, for at that part the country is strikingly 
alpine and confined, and the houses in some instances 
rise one above another, but the place generally has a 
snug and comfortable look. The train near to this 
place passes through a tunnel, which is rather an 
uncommon occurrence, and the only one which I 
remember on that side of the continent, but the hills 
are evidently huddled together on this part, for we soon 
loose the hilly country and keep driving along the 
banks of the canal for a considerable time, and when 
the country opens up one discovers that it has been 
subjected to culture for a long time, for now and then 
large and comfortable farms are passed, looking like 
some of our better class houses and surroundings at 



WHITKHALL, SARATOGA, AND ALllANY. 273 

home. FieKls and forcsU and all alonj^ the sides of 
the canals are proofs of much laUmr beinj; carried on 
in connection with a*friculture. Numerous villages 
are jwissetl. and now and a^in a place of souu* iniijor- 
tance, and the nearer to the ^Tx*at ccntn.? we apjiroach 
the more enterjmsing and interesting docs the countr}' 
become. The iron which is fountl in the district of 
Champlain Hnds ita way up into the land in this 
locality, and there are various places where extensive 
works are carritnl on; one of these tailed Mechanics- 
Wile is (piite suggestive though nothing nmre Ik* said. 
Tlie great centre of attraction in this portion of the 
country is the fashionable resort called Saratoga, with 
it« hotels, springs, promenailes. charming villas, ami 
it« fashionable station and aristocnitic aroma of the 
b<au moiulf. There is no ditliculty of discovering, 
when one approaches, the envinms of this place, for 
there is nothing in the States which am be convert4>»l 
into cents but affords a s{)eculativc medium for 
Yankee enterpri.sc. The water of the various springs 
around this resort are utili.se«l, ami bnuight into the 
trains for sale, 8<j that those who are too mucii pres.se<l 
for time to go to the waters have the waters brought 
to them; but I saw no one who was dis|)«)se<l to go 
in f«»r the Saratoga rau-tU-rie. In almost all Ameri«an 
places of any extent the hotel life is a featun», and the 
hotels a prominent one, es|)ocially in this plare, and 
although there are many b- r.- ..i 'r..:if . .i.,, nv tlii.jio 



274 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

have been found to be insufficient for the great increase 
or demand made upon them at this growing place. 
At present they are engaged constructing one which 
will hold nearly all the contents of the others put 
together, and will of itself be an attraction inducing 
greater traffic. This is regarded by all as the most 
celebrated watering-place in the United States. As 
with the middle or store-keeping class, la nation 
houtiquiere, horse and buggy is the acme of possession 
and enjoyment, so with the upper ten to go to Saratoga 
or Long-branch is the very summit of social felicity. 
All eyes and hearts, from the autocrat whose days and 
nights are spent in the national caravansary at 
Washington, to the wealthy oyster merchant whose 
chief cares are centred on some of the beds of that 
shellfish in New York Bay during la mauvaise saisori 
in which his money is made, but whose recess is in the 
time of year when life is joyous at such places as 
those I have named ; and the lake is just a fine drive 
out some seven miles. Boating and fishing at the 
lake is an enhanced enjoyment, and hotel facilities are 
afforded for those who wish to prolong their stay at 
such enjoyable quarters. The scenery is so different 
from what is to be seen at Longbranch that it offers a 
most decided change. At the one you gaze on the 
wide expanse of the ocean, with its hoarse music and 
fitful breeze, or its calm and dazzling light quivering 
with the surges from the Atlantic's strife, and busy 



WHITKH.VI.l., SAKAT<"<;.V, AM> Al.HVNV. J . O 

SMiu I III- cruft and fliigs of every nation jmasing in 
steady proco&sion to the busy luirboiir of New York. 
At the other you have the same rtulinut shoals of 
fashionahle life, crowiling rouml the parks, the springs, 
the palatial mansions, the venlant slo|)e8, the refresh- 
ing fountains, admiring the len-al creations deep in 
the crystal lake, or sitting u|>on the iMiuksand u{)land8 
and regaling themselves with the (nlour from the 
flowers or listening to the natunil music from the 
groves around, or to the song of the young amateurs 
as they drive their gondolas through the ripi>ling 
waves of their tiny ocean. 

I'ut we piuss this fashionahle paradi.se and come to 
H place of cla-ssic name. Troy is one of tho.se hustling 
maelstroms of induslr)' which are to 1k) met, or jwissod 
rather, on our way to the capital of the .State of Xow 
York. Tliere are many jdaces along the line which 
are evidently the .seats of lively industry, hut jus the 
practice of naming stations is not generally pursued 
in the States, strangers must l>e at a lo.ss to learn 
them, if they do not wish to be consideretl inijuisi- 
tive; but it is ver}- necessary to be so. When one is 
in quest of lcnowle«lgf or information, all the <»bstacle8 
which present thcmstdve* must lie pushetl to one 
side, so long as that can l»e ilone without kiUK-king 
anybody down. However, in doing so some intem>- 
gation is apt to be presented as coiniHjusution for the 
favour some one has done you in answering a quer)', 



276 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

or a succession of queries, " What do you think of 
our country?" is sure to be the first, whatever may 
succeed. " We have no poor people in our country ;" 
this is very often the second. Of course such a 
statement as that is very noble, if true, if they pre- 
vent people from becoming poor ; for my own part, I 
was inclined to look upon the statement, " The poor 
ye have always with you," as one of universal appli- 
cation and thoroughly true. But it seems there are 
parts in the States where there are no poor people. 
I thought he might be speaking of the place where his 
lot was cast. I must admit I saw no poor people 
where I w^as, but I have no doubt there are plenty of 
them in New York, or any of the large cities. In 
recent settlements there was every likelihood of few 
being there. But I think it is usually intended for 
a thrust relative to the state of things in our own 
country at home. However, my reply was that " I 
thought when his country was as old as the mother 
country they were likely to have plenty of poor 
people among them." But I have no desire, never- 
theless, that they should have such a prophetic state- 
ment verified. It will be best for all, aiid I don't 
care much for my reputation as a prophet. May it 
be long ere " hungry ruin has them in the wind." 
In districts of country wlierc there is a large agricul- 
tural population, the people are in a favourable posi- 
tion to live well ; for in any part of the States food 



WHITEHALL, SARATOGA, AND ALUANY. 277 

in the agricultunil portions is less costly than in the 
cities, and nearly a half of the prices char^l in cities 
at home. 

I have referred to the system and atlvantage of 
checking the baggage of travellers and tourists gene- 
nilly on the American continent. Whether one's 
baggage is much or little, great or small, it shcuild be 
checked in (Missing from place to place when it is not 
wantetl. It costs nothing, and when wanteil at any 
stage it is as sure to be where it is wanted as if it 
was in the care of a i>erson whose duty was to look 
after it alone. In commencing the journey I ha«l 
omitted to get my baggage checked as it was 
hamly, and I thought I could look after it, which 
can always be done provided there is plenty of time 
to do so ; but in the case of shifting for a different 
rail or steamer sometimes there is much hurry and 
bustle, and if at night, as stjmetimes will hapjwn, 
there is a hurry to get the Ijaggagtj sent forwanl for 
a change, and that having the oflicial aire will neces- 
sarily receive the tirst attention ; but there is a 
reme«ly for this. Some time before we arrived at 
Albany, a {xirson, not orticial I conclude*!. c«me and 
matle in<pur)* whether all the Uiggage was checked, 
and having statetl mine was not so, he desire«l to 
take it in Ahar^e, and when I couseutod, he gave me 
a card or check, and miule a charge which I tliought 
exorbitant for the duty to be rendered, but by the 



278 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

advice of one of my co-travellers I was induced to 
accept the services which I by a little forethought 
might have rendered unnecessary; but it is well that 
there is some agency to assist and direct strangers, 
though primarily the motive which prompts is purely 
of a commercial character. On arriving at the sta- 
tion at Albany, which is a place of considerable im- 
portance, there was very much bustle on the part of 
those who were prosecuting their travel to a greater 
distance, and who were necessitated to change. 
Very many like myself were about to proceed down 
the north river or the Hudson to New York, by the 
steamer St. John, which was waiting at her berth, 
and as the train was late the excitement was some 
degrees more intense than had she arrived in time ; 
but shortly all the 'busses, cabs, or cars got filled, and 
we drove off along what seemed to me to be a suc- 
cession of badly made streets, to the pier, where an 
excess of stir, of light and animated crowds, indi- 
cated that we had arrived at our destination. 



( II A I'T !•: i: xx 



THE HIDSON ANU ITS FLOATING PALACES AND SCKNEItV. 
The dt'spntoh of the steamers whicli ply on the Hud- 
bon seems to Ix? an event of some interi'st to tin* folk 
Jit Alliony, if one were to judge fn>ni the nuniltere 
which cr«)wd to see them oil'; but as the ]>assenger8 
are numerons, so are the friends likely to )m> who 
acconijMiny them to the j)ier. The paxHengers enter 
the steamer on the cargo dock, which is Udow the 
saloon on the forepart of tlie Iwut, atid tlie saWtn is 
roache<i by a flight of stops from the lower deck to 
the saloon. The ticket-oHice is on the lower dock, 
and the epiartiTs for the nigJit are secui-ed by applying 
to the clerk, and wlu-n that is done you asceiul to 
the saloon al)ove, and fmm this i)oint the «juality of 
the uii|>er portion of the vessel is discovered. At 
the liottom of tlie stairs stand two iignres. one on 
each side, just at the scroll of tho han<l rail. These 
figures are made of bronze, and tln-y are set on 
pe<h-'ta!-i of the same material. un«l in tho hands of 
the figures arc gas lustren, lighting the way up stain. 
The stair itself is coniixMod of Califoniian red wood, 
or a hani w<khI of < oloTir. l-Ji* h step 

is set into a h.i ik of considenible 



280 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

strength, and the brackets between the steps are of 
a suitably ornamental construction, and all highly 
polished, and the appearance of the whole is pleasing, 
light, and highly ornamental. On the landing, before 
entering the saloon, the name of the steamer is 
indented with polished brass. On entering the 
saloon one feels as if he had got into wrong quarters, 
the general appearance to a British eye is so unlike 
a ship. The saloon is about 300 feet in length, and 
the whole can be taken in at a glance from stem to 
stern, and it presented the appearance of a ball-room, 
at least it did so to some extent when I first entered. 
When the usual bustle of starting is going on, and 
passengers are busy getting their luggage put away 
into their state-rooms, and various other incidental 
and necessary acts were being gone about, there is 
much animation and lively commotion; and the 
scene is of much interest and calculated to attract 
attention on account of its extent and magnificence. 
The saloon being of great length necessitates it being 
of great height, and from its construction materially 
adds to the interiov magnificence of the place. The 
ceiling is over twenty-two feet high, and its form, as 
seen from the inside, is eliptical, and is supported in 
the centre by five pillars, which are about equi-^ 
distant. These pillars are Corinthian in style, with 
fluted shafts, and the capitals are about three feet in 
size and richly gilded. Eunning down tlirough the 



THE HUDSON, KJX. 281 

litre of the saloon nn«l between the pilhir:> are five 
immeiise pisaliers, alMnit eiyht or ton fet-t across at 
the lustres. These hang frtuu the centre of the 
ceiling to about nine or ten feet from the deck, and 
to preser\'e them from damage on account of the 
steamer's njotion, there are ornamental chains or 
cords, which are fjustened to the side galleries. On 
each of these ga.«iiilier8 are from fift«'en U> twenty 
globes, and so many lights make the .saloon ••.vtremely 
light, cheerful, and enjoyable. The ceiling, as I have 
indicated, curNes gently towards the sides, and at the 
ends (»f the mouhling or l)eam dividing the panels on 
the ceiling, and between these Iwams, which are 
some two feet ajmrt, are stainetl -glass skylights of a 
variety of designs and colour, which give a very 
s;mrkling and shining radiance to the light in the 
daytime. Hound the entire sides of the hall, arcade, 
or sidoon, fr»r it Icoks like all «)f the-ne, are U'tween 
200 and 300 lx»rths for the acc(jmmo<lation and com- 
fort of the travellers. These are dis|K)se<l in two 
tiers one above the other, and U'tweon. say ten feet 
high, are galleries or balconies, which nin round the 
whole extent of the ship, terminating at each end 
like an upper deck or entersole; and from these one 
<:4Ui |>ass out to the oi>en deck fn»m Inith ends of the 
steamer. On the inner side o( the galleries is a rail- 
ing or lialustrade, very nicely execute*!, and a<l''.ing 
ver)' much to the interest of the internal arrange- 



282 THE STATES AND CANxVDA. 

ments of the steamer. In the centre or near to the 
centre of the saloon there is a double descent from 
the side galleries to a l)road stair which connects 
with the main deck of the saloon, and on several 
prominent angles of the stairway there are some fine 
bronze figures of considerable artistic merit, which 
tend to enhance the most unique and stately sur- 
roundings that are to be seen at every turn. Near 
to this part of the boat thei^e is the only structure 
which prevents the saloon from being one clear space 
from stem to stern. That is the woodwork enclosing 
the lower part of the bea.m which rises from the 
lower or cargo deck to the upper or hurricane deck 
or roof, but to obviate any objectionable tendency 
arising from the existence of the enclosure, the sides 
of it are filled up in the same manner in mock wood- 
work as if it were entrances to state-rooms, and on 
parts of it are mirrors which give it a light and 
agreeable look. At the bases of all the pillars are 
circles of settees, and sofas, lounges, and chairs are 
set up in all available places, and all the flo9rs are 
covered with carpets of heavy fabric. The doors at 
entrances of all the berths or state-rooms are speci- 
mens of tasteful workmanship, with moulding and 
carving of superior make, and showil}^ painted and 
gilded, and over them are ventilators of cut fret- 
work, of elaborately curious openings, imparting an 
airy cliaracter to that part of the steamer. 



THE HUDSON, ETC. 283 

After what I Imve siiiil of the interior of the steamer, 
one can easily conceive what hn» Ikhmi 8aiil of these 
vo.sstls to l)e Inxe, that many travel in them piiri'ly f«»r 
ph'ii^ure, and the various pleivsun'S ohtainahle ami 
j»urrha^ble on lj<»anl ; and the owners provide at 
certain seasons music of various sorts to attract the 
senstious, tlie fa-^t, and the frivoloiis, who love tho 
charm of gay life on the Hudson, or love to roam 
amon^' the fascinatin;^ va>:aries of ^fanahattan's 
Island, which is the ^ox'nt centre that ahsorl».«. the 
vigour, the vitality, and the virtue of tho «iuieter 
surrounding places. When I went on l)oanl the St. 
John the whole saloon was Uisking in a hlaxe «»f 
\<i lij?ht, and all th«' 8|»ace on every side 

\v.t ;th a throng of every shade of character. 

Itound the tables were little knots of ladies reading, 
chatting, sewing, and knitting, others promenading 
the gidleries, and ]tlanning anil .scheming (heir course 
of a< tii»n for the coming day ; otJuTs were regaling 
themselves witii tho fre'iji hree/es frun» the Hudson 
whieh playeil round the verandah on the up[HT deck. 
On the lower deck aft were congn'gate<i a jtdiilant 
company of buoyant spirits, engagetl in airling a 
comic singer to thunder forth his laughtor-prov«»king 
refrain, and the unvarying final " encon*," and this 
cimtinti<><l till aJNtnt " that hour o' night's black arch 
the key stnne" had arrived. \W that time many hrd 
nrtire<l within the confines of " sleepy hollow," and 



284 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

the steamer pursued her course so steadily and 
smoothly that it was difficult to discover in some 
parts of the ship that she moved at all, so steady is 
the stroke from the engines of these steamers. We 
have seen what like these vessels are on the upper 
or saloon deck, now let us take a step to the lower 
or cargo deck. From the bottom of the stair leading 
to the saloon forward is devoted to cargo chiefly, but 
over and above we have the boiler, and in the centre 
the engines, and a gaswork at one side also. The 
boilers are placed, one on starboard and the other on 
the larboard sides of the steamer, just in the vicinity 
of the paddles, and this arrangement internally gives 
the vessel externally that look which is peculiarly 
American, that of having a funnel at each side. All 
the deck except a needful passage is loaded with 
■cargo usually, and a number of what we would call 
steerage passengers are quartered about, as this 
is the only place where they can stow themselves 
away, and being in the vicinity of the fires, it is com- 
fortable in the winter, I presume ; but in the fine 
season they can look out upon the river from the 
gangway as the vessel passes on her voyage. Tliere 
in a deck below this again, where all refreshments 
are dispensed, and where all the cooking goes on, the 
officials and attendants being darkies chiefly, quiet, 
civil, and attentive in their deportment and labours. 
These dining saloons nre very cheerful in the even- 



THE IIl'PSOX, KTC. 285 

ing, ami being liglited up with gas are quite lively 
aiul enjoyable. The capacity of these Hteanicrs for 
passengers* comfort is very great ; even' place lina 
the same character for amplitude and convenience. 
Tlie deck sjwce outside is rather limited; there is but 
a small s|«ce companitively at the stem and the 
same at the stern, where the passengers can enjoy the 
view in sailing down the river, and these are very 
mucli crowded on that account. There is no i>oasi- 
bility of seeing out from the saloon of the steamer, 
as state-rooms and l»erths are range<l two deep the 
whole length of the ship, ami there is no allowance 
given to go up on the upjwr deck or roof of the 
saloon, so to speak, which is a considerable height 
above the water line, and would Ix? somewhat uncom- 
fortable on that account. There are no nuists or 
sails al>«>ut these ships, and it is almost unnecessary 
to call them either shij)S, lM)ats, or vessels in the 
sense we understand it. There are upright poles 
at certain parts of the steanier, and there are gtiys 
or stays that nin along from them to certain of 
the strongest portion" of the vessel to steady or 
Htrengthen her, and whether tluisc are the cau.so of 
relieving the steamer from the ordinary' vibration 
which is common in steamships or not I cannot say, 
but there is no such thing felt in the ship while on 
th<- I'l'-'-a,;*', and this, along with the other facts 
will! It 1 have stated, is the rtnuson whv these vessels 



286 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

are so liiglily spoken of by many persons of position 
and judgment as a source of much pleasure to tra- 
vellers who use them on this and the other favourite 
routes in America. 

Whilst there is thus every attention paid to the 
comfort of tiiose who patronize these vessels for the 
purpose of pleasure or business, there is also due 
regard to and provision made for their safety in the 
event of fire or wrecks. In various parts of the 
steamer are life-belts or preservers in sufficient 
number for the passengers, and there are instructions 
exposed about the vessel how these are to be used, 
and the process is as simple as the appliance seems to 
be. They are made of cork, in the form of small 
blocks tied together in a line, and are thrown over 
the shoulder and fastened in much the game manner 
as one would do a vest or jacket, and I suppose these 
keep up the unfortunates who are obliged to test them 
practically till aid reaches them from the shore or 
steamers. Then, for the calamity of fire, the direc- 
tions chiefly apply to the crew, detailing the manner 
in which they are to act, and the manner of those 
with whom they are to act in concert. I presume 
these arrangements will entail a drill of some sort 
which they will all have previously acquired, and 
which is doubtless very necessary and proper. 
The first feeling which disturbs one on these night 
voyages is the apprehension of fire. The knowledge 



THK HUDSON, ETC. 287 

that there is a work for tlie nmmifactun) of gas on 
boanl, a gasometer and pipes |>enueatin^' the entire 
vessel with their iiitlaiumable contents, and every 
place lij,'hte<l brilliantly, only bespeak the startling 
transformation if anything; were ^'oing wnjng. 

I visitetl idmost every corner of the ship, and 
watched all the chan«,'inj,' a.s|)ects of life presented in 
this short voyajje. The brilliant and tlazzlinj; appear- 
ance of the saloon faded away j,TTidually as the 
ebony -coloured official extin^ished one by one the 
flaming ministers which encircled the j)onderou9 
gasaliers; and, lastly, the immensity of the long and 
yawning emptiness of the saloon l>ecame {Miinfully 
silent and deserte<I, and looked the very picture of 
solitude, which was only brtjken occasionally by the 
steamer's shrdl wiiistle as it sounded its warning note 
to some approaching ship, which eehoetl in return it3 
rtisfwusivo blast, and anon its sound was hu-li- l "* if 
floated over the waters of the lonlly Hudson 

I have delaye<l making any reference to >' .iiujr^ 
[.to this |)oint, as 1 thought the Hudson or North 
kiver the most suitable relation in which to s|ieak of 
them, )>ecause it was on this river in 1H07 that Itoljort 
Fulton first gave the world the ocular proof thtt 
htetun could \w appliinl in '- ' lue 

one of the first hcientifie ; i of 

mankind, and we who liv< Mer 

that date kuow how fullv t). ih 



288 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

of that great engineer have been realised. It is a 
little singular, however, that in the country where the 
first advances were made in the practical application 
of this important art they should have been so unsuc- 
cessful in its promotion, compared with what has 
been realised by those who were their followers. It 
is not my intention at present to state any reasons 
why the Clyde has taken the first place in connection 
with all the enterprise which has been evinced in 
promoting the industries which have secured such a 
prominence, and which have caused all the world to 
think and speak highly of the marine architecture 
produced on our river, and we are not to suppose that 
that is the result of a beneficent and benign preroga- 
tive which we enjoy, of being surrounded by a halo 
from the manes of the great Watt. There may be 
something in a name, but the rebellious and turbulent 
waters of the Atlantic pay no attention to the ideal 
qualifications which are secured by anything so unsub- 
stantial and unreal ; and when the productions of the 
Delaware can cope with those of the Clyde, there will 
be a change of prestige, despite our present eminence. 
Of course we might console ourselves with the 
knowledge of the fact that we had instructed their 
fingers to fight against us in the friendly battle of 
competition; but this is a little away from my text. 
The noble river on which we are embarked is striking, 
on account of its scenery as well as its steamers or 



THE UUDSON, ETC. 289 

floating jMilaoos; and it is interesting on account nf 
its historic a-ss(»ciations. We have passed a large part 
> >( it in the diirk, but it is the i>art which is allowed 
to be most lacking in that which I have iudicate^-l. 
The whole extent of this trip is about one hundred 
and sixty miles from Albany to New York. In 
coming down we pass the district where the great 
city is supplied witli water, which is forty miles from 
Xew York. Tlie place is called Croton, and the 
atjueduct and resen'oir are objects of considerable 
interest. These waterworks cost nearly three millions 
sterling. The dam or lake is about five miles long, 
it covers four hundretl acres, and the discharge from 
the lake is about sixty million gallons daily. The 
water is carrietl through a canal for forty miles, and 
the canal is built of stone and brick ; and the receiv- 
ing, reservoir which isalx)ut five miles from the centre 
' f Xew York, is capable of containing one hundrtnl 
mil fifty million gallons. This reser>'oir is wholly an 
artificial work, and is built in the Egyptian style of 
architecture, with massive buttresses all round, and 

-n the top of the wall is an encloswl i)rt)menatle. By 
these works the great «ity is amply supplied with water 

—the drainage of the country in the vicinity of CnUon 
i-xcee<ling a hundred miles, with numerous small 
lakes. I don't wish the reader to suppose this is all 
jMirl of the sccner}' of the Hud.son, but I have Wn 
letl to refer to the whole work ou account of passing 



290 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

the site of the reservoirs; and I may as well refer to 
another structure connected with these works which 
is over the stream where the Island of Manahattan 
terminates, just at the burying-place of Anthony Van 
Corlear, at Spuyten Diivyel Creel;. At this place is 
what is called the High Bridge which carries the 
Croten water across the Harlem River. This bridge 
spans the valley where the river is six hundred feet 
wide and the valley a quarter of a mile or so. It has 
eight arches of eighty feet span, and they are a 
hundred feet high above the water line, but the arches 
on the land diminish with the slopes of the land. 
This bridge is wholly composed of granite, and the 
water is led over it in iron pipes extending for 
fourteen hundred and fifty feet, and there is a path- 
way, which is broad enough for a carriage, but only 
foot passengers are allowed to pass. We had passed 
" Sleepy Hollow," when the gray curtain of morning 
was rising drowsily from its quiet and silent sloj)es, 
but did not see any of the "Winkles" on the look- 
out. On all the way down from the point which 
the celebrated navigator for whom the river was called, 
reached on his first voyage up, or the point at which 
the chain or barrier was thrown across during the 
Eevolution, is of marked interest and attraction in 
natural beauties, bristling in legendary lore, and 
teeming with the most cherished historic association 
of the early days of the Eepublic and of the struggles 



THE HIDSOS. ETC. 201 

and endurance of the umrtvrs of liberty, of wliich it 
is iiui>ossible to do more than to refer to in a jmssing 
and transitory manner. At one |x>int we jmiss the 
district from wliich the granite jwhucs of the city are 
constructeil, with its lM)ld ami irri'^ular manses battling 
overhead, and again we art; charmeil by the verdant 
wooily .slope.s of ** Sunnyside," the residence of 
Washin^^on Irving; then a fort is passed, and 
then a villagn and scores of .sylvan retreats, the 
residences of the merchants of New York. We Ciitch 
a hurrinl glimpse of some magnificent buildings 
devotetl to beneficent or charitable purposes, and as 
we approach, the grand imiKising features of the 
river, the majestic and towering pali.sades, in some 
parts so like those iMisaltic and irregular gigantic 
masses of rock at Giant's Causeway, we are at 
once rivette«l with their sur|)as8ing magnificence. 
When we were passing, the warm, golden radiance of 
the morning sun was iK'^^inning to stimulate the 
dewy vapour into motion, and as the snowy curtain 
))egan to rise and asceml to the towering battlement* 
of these everlasting walls, and roll along their sum- 
mits in volutes of downy white, the picture was one 
among a thousand. On the hlo|M! l»elow and near to 
the margin of the lovely Hudson were numU'rs of 
licautiful mansions emlMiwertMl in vernal lK«auty and 
halcyon re|x>se, while in tlie background rose the 
wild and romantic rocky oscarpmer.t, surrounding 



292 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

and encircling little frescoes here and there on the 
shelves of the dizzy heights. At anchor in their 
little glassy bays numerous yachts were waiting for 
their gay holiday trappings and pleasure-seeking 
crowds. The rocky heights recede, and their beauty 
and rugged grandeur are softened and mellowed into 
romantic indistinctness. The Elysian fields of Ho- 
boken run into their retreats of quiet and modest 
natural profusion, and the varied beauties of nature 
are fresh and sparkling with new life. The islands 
of New York Bay are now in view ; villas and vil- 
lages are thickening, the highlands are robed in the 
cool shadows, the river and the bay are glowing with 
a mixture of purple and golden light, and long, deep 
sombre shadows tremble between the water and the 
land, and lose themselves in the radiance of the lake. 
The early trains begin to roll along the eastern 
bank, and startle with their shrill pipe the echoes on 
its rocky sides. The screaming and fitful vapours 
from dozens of public works denote that we are near 
our journey's end. The busy wharves and ferries are 
reached, and the bay of New York, with its islands, 
forts, and public works, and fair foreshore, its restless 
commerce, and sleepless activity and princely pos- 
sessions, is at last before us, and around us New York 
on the left and New Jersey on the right. The wharf 
at which the Hudson River steamers lie is almost the 
most northerly, that is, the one farthest up on the 



THE HUDSON, ETC. 293 

west side of New York, nud is nearly three miles up 
the North lliver, reckoning from IJatterv Point, which 
is the extreme south jwiiit of the island of Mnnahattan, 
and on the oi»iK>site shore of Jersey. There are great 
numlters of dock.s. wharves, ferries and basins, reaching 
for about as many miles, and on the east side of 
New York, at the entrance to the East Hiver, and on 

16 Brooklyn shore, there are as numy more, auil this 
extent of foreshore seen at once from the Imy with all 
its relative bustle and enterprise causes it to Ix; one 
of the livelist scenes of maritime life and activity 
which can be seen anywhere, and in the Ijay there is 
always seen a stream of inwanl-bound and outward- 
]>ound vessels of all kinds and dimensions, and to and 
from every nation and clime on earth; and as the 
asj>ect in the bay is so varied, so is life in the city 
itself, and is naturally similar to what is ol>servable 
in any of our larjje jKirts in Britain. Hut I think the 
excessive bustle which one sees alx>ut the wharves, 
and in the vicinity of the 8hij)j)inj^'. is the n'sult of 
such work beinjj done in so limited a space, for the 
-stores of New York, (»n which tliesc laUiurs of busi- 

.<-ss are carried on, are just two sides of a triangle, 
the Hatter}' tteing the ]M)int, and as it is fmind to be 
more convenient t4» form whar>*e« anil «l«Kks on the 
op|>oaite sides of New Jersey and Brooklyn, than to 
extend them up the North and Kn.Ht Hivere, this also 
has a tendency to concentrate the business done in 



294 THE STATES AND CANADA. 

New York to that old part of the city, and the 
social as well as the commercial tendencies are the 
same in relation to the centre of business. Brooklyn 
will extend with greater rapidity now than will New 
York itself, although the facilities for getting at the 
one are as manifold as the other. The Central Park, 
which I have already referred to, lies at the present 
northern confines of the city, and it is evidently in 
contemplation of the completion of the city it was so 
named, for at present it has no such relation to the 
city itself, and thus its name has an enormously pro- 
spective relation to the future only. 

There were some things Avhich I referred to in 
rather a summary manner when noticing the appear- 
ance of New York Bay at landing, and among these 
I referred to the gigantic undertaking of spanning 
the East Kiver \^ith an immense granite bridge, the 
piers of which are nearly 200 feet high, and the span 
is of such dimensions that it will not interfere with 
the navigation of the river; but above this bridge, on 
the same river, there is another mighty enterprise in 
operation, that of removing a mass of sunken rock 
which renders the navigation at that point rather 
dangerous. This enterprise has been going on fof 
years, and will proceed for over two years to come. 
It is tunnelled from the land, and an immense cavern 
or crypt is formed by cutting and blasting the rock 
in the interior, and when the engineers think there 



THK Hn>80X, KTC. 2".»a 

is suflicient maierial reniovtHl. a j^reat ({uantity of 
gtinpowiler will be placo<l inside, and the upper cnist 
will be blown to atoms, and the channel of the river 
be iniprovetl. This great event will take place on 
the centennial celebmti«)n of the nation's inde]>en- 
dence in 187G, and I suppose is intenile<l as jwirt of 
the projfrauime which will Ik* gone into. I don't 
know that these will Ite circulateil in Hritain. and in 
case they should not be so, I have been tlius jwrti- 
cular to call attention to it Ixifore I leave these 
shores, so that those who wish to be present at sjuli 
an imposing and startling exhibition will know wheti 
to cross the Atlantic to visit the shores of tlie New 
World. 



TIIK KNH. 



Orr. PoUodi k Ca. Pris««n, CUriM DtewC, UfMOoek. 



_ /r\ 



